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Tim BontempsESPN
CLEVELAND – Karl-Anthony TownsAfter Saturday’s 3-point contest at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, he ran into the interview room and demanded an explanation.
“Who put a bet on me?” Towns answered with an ear-to ear smile.
Whoever did that, lost.
Towns was the clear winner of the 2022 3-point contest thanks to her record-breaking 29 points in final round. Atlanta HawksGuard Trae Young LA ClippersGuard Luke Kennard.
Towns claimed that he had lobbied the league for many years to enter the competition. Towns took a deep breathe before taking his final shot. It was just enough to make it through to the next round.
He continued his run, even though he was mad afterwards that he had missed the chance to reach at least 30, which he believed would be required to win the contest.
Towns declared, “I’m super glad to win.” “It’s fantastic, but I have such high standards. … I am the most critical of myself. There is no writer, blogger, or anyone who can be more critical of their game than I am. So I was really upset about not being able to get the 30. … I believed 30 was the minimum I needed to win the final round. 29 was enough to get by.
After the league allowed jewelry to be worn during the event, Towns wore a necklace in memory of Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, who was his mother. Jacqueline Cruz Towns died from complications caused by the coronavirus on April 2020.
Towns flew around an arc on Saturday night’s final round and set a record that Kennard and Young couldn’t beat.
Towns’ plan worked out perfectly. His preference was to win the race and give the best score to his teammates.
Towns stated, “I told Luke Kennard that I wanted to be first. So I was happy when they called my number and that I was going to be first.” “I was extremely confident in my shooting abilities and wanted the opportunity to go first. I wanted to maintain pressure on everyone and get a high score that feels almost impossible. It’s that feeling where you feel like you must be perfect. If you miss one it can knock your confidence out. So I set the tone fast.
“But I just felt good. It was a day when I felt good and very confident. My energy throughout the day was not anxious or nervous. It was super confident. I cannot wait to show the world my talents when I am given this stage and platform.”
Towns stated that it was just because he is a large man that it took him so much time to get in the event. Towns stated that he was proud to win the competition, and that it was another proof of his ability to shoot big men. However, he also said that he wants to be a role model to children, showing them how they can play the way he wants.
Towns stated, “I believe the league knew that I could shoot a ball as fast as I could from 3.” “But for all the children, all the tall boys and all the men out there that believe they will not succeed by doing nothing but shooting hook shots and keeping their backs to the basket, I want to show them that it is possible to do everything you want and be the best player you can be.
“When I was a kid, everyone said the same thing to me: “Have your back towards the basket. Karl shooting 3s. It’s not right for him to be shooting 3. And my dad and me said, ‘Screw it. We will do it our own way. We will make the league ours. We’re going our own way. We are going to be great, in a way that is unlike anything the world has ever seen. That has always been my motto. Show the world greatness through a different lens. I believe that I have done that seven years in the league and that I am only getting better. I’m only scratching the surface of who I could be.