Old Karl-Anthony Towns Photo Resurfaces Ahead of Knicks-Spurs NBA Finals

Karl-Anthony Towns saw this coming. Sort of.

On Oct. 3, 2024, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded Towns to the New York Knicks. Three days later, Towns arrived at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the Knicks’ preseason game against the Hornets. For his first game as a Knick, he wore a graphic tee from the 1999 NBA Finals between the Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.

After the Spurs toppled the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 to win the Western Conference Finals on Saturday night, the 20-month-old photo resurfaced and went viral. Not only is Towns an All-NBA and All-Star, but he’s also apparently an NBA prophet.

Towns and the Knicks have been patiently waiting to learn their 2026 NBA Finals opponent all week. The Knicks quickly dispatched the Cleveland Cavaliers in a dominant sweep to win the Eastern Conference Finals last Monday. The Knicks are in the Finals for the first time since 1999, while the Spurs last appeared in the Finals in 2014.

Back in 1999, the Knicks knew they had virtually no shot at winning the title over the Spurs in the Finals because Patrick Ewing had partially torn his Achilles in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Tim Duncan- and David Robinson-led Spurs won the championship in five games.

This time around, it’s different. Nobody is hotter than the Knicks. They have won 11 straight playoff games with an all-time best +23.8 point differential in that span. More importantly, the Knicks are healthy, save for Mitchell Robinson’s broken pinkie. Towns and Robinson will likely decide the series by how well they can contain Victor Wembanyama, who has announced himself as the best player on the planet throughout these playoffs.

Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals is scheduled for Wednesday, June 3, at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.

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This story was originally published May 31, 2026 at 3:25 PM.