Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns arrives in Taiwan

Taoyuan, Aug. 28 (CNA) NBA All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks arrived in Taiwan on Thursday, touching down at Taoyuan International Airport at 5:09 a.m. on a China Airlines flight.

Dozens of fans were waiting at the entrance to greet the three-time All-Star, also known as KAT.

"It's been a while since an NBA player last came to Taiwan. As a Knicks fan, I couldn't miss this chance," said a university student surnamed Chen (陳), who arrived at the airport at 3:40 a.m.

Towns signed memorabilia for fans before exiting the airport.

Drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2015, Towns played his first nine seasons in the Western Conference before being traded to New York during the 2024 offseason.

In the 2024-25 season, he averaged 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds per game while shooting 42.0 percent from beyond the arc.

The NBA star is visiting at the invitation of the Taoyuan Taiwan Beer Leopards of the Taiwan Professional Basketball League. He is scheduled to appear at a 3-on-3 event at The Westin Tashee Resort in Taoyuan on Thursday afternoon.

On Saturday, he will be a special guest at another basketball event at Taoyuan Arena, where he will join two-time NBA champion Kawhi Leonard.

Saturday's event is jointly organized by the Leopards and The Asian Tournament as part of Leonard's Asia tour, which includes his first-ever visit to Taiwan.