Karl-Anthony Towns says it’s special to be named to his sixth-ever NBA All-Star Game — and his second with the Knicks. NBA coaches voted Towns in as a reserve for 2026 All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles in mid-February and the seven-foot big man was introspective and reflective of his path after de feating the Lakers, 112-100, at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. “It’s special. This one’s a real special one for sure,” said Towns. “It’s better to be getting the win against the Lakers. I feel better about that right now than the All-Star thing, but as time goes, I’ll be able to digest it and understand the importance of it. “But right now, I’m just happy we got the win.” Players, fans and media didn’t vote Towns in as a starter this season after he earned his first-ever All-Star starting nod last year, his first with the Knicks under former head coach Tom Thibodeau. Instead, the talented scoring big man had to rely on the 29 opposing NBA coaches who ultimately gave him the OK. “It’s been six times and six different roads to get there, you know? And I think every [All-Star appearance] is special, and every one is unique,” he said. “I think this one is one I’ll cherish, but when you’re in the mode and in the moment — it’ll take time for me to digest this All-Star nod. But it’s great to have a day like this that ends with a win.” Towns’ sixth-career All-Star nod was not a guarantee in a down season under first-year Knicks head coach Mike Brown. His scoring efficiency is down across the board, and with 11 points in Sunday’s victory, he’s close to falling below 20 points per game for the first time since his rookie season with the Minnesota Timberwolves a decade ago. Yet ahead of tipoff on Sunday, an hour before All-Star reserves were announced, Brown maintained he believed Towns had a no-brainer, rightful spot as an All-Star reserve. “I’m a firm believer that winning should be a big factor in [All-Star voting], and we’re sitting third in the East right now, so we should have multiple guys on the [All-Star] team,” he said pregame. “Jalen definitely is in the MVP conversation, but we have other guys on this team that have stepped up and helped in a lot of different ways. KAT — he’s leading us in rebounds, he’s second in scoring, I don’t know how many double-doubles he has, but that’s impactful when you’re talking about doing it in a winning situation.” Towns joined Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell, Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson, Indiana’s Pascal Siakam, Miami’s Norman Powell, Toronto’s Scottie Barnes and Detroit’s Jalen Duren as Eastern Conference All-Star reserves. Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, Denver’s Jamal Murray, Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren, Houston’s Kevin Durant, Phoenix’s Devin Booker, Portland’s Deni Avdija and Los Angeles’ LeBron James rounded out the reserves in the Eastern Conference. Towns is averaging 20 points, a league-leading 11.8 rebounds and 3 assists per game on 46% shooting from the field and 36% shooting from three-point range. ...read more read less