Karl-Anthony Towns Shares 5 Places to Visit in NYC

The birth certificate may read New Jersey, but the origin story of Karl-Anthony Towns, the seven-foot star for the New York Knicks, extends to New York City.

Growing up in nearby Piscataway, N.J., Mr. Towns and his parents would routinely make the 37-mile commute to the city to experience parks, museums, New York Yankees games, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and, of course, to watch the Knicks — the favorite team of his mother, Jacqueline Cruz — play at Madison Square Garden.

“To now be playing in that kind of place is pretty cool, to see life coming in a full circle,” Mr. Towns, who was traded to New York from the Minnesota Timberwolves in October, said in a recent phone interview.

Mr. Towns, 29, has been one of the most dominating forces in this young N.B.A. season, averaging 24.7 points, a league-leading 14 rebounds and 3.3 assists for a (24-12) Knicks team which, as early January, is third in the Eastern Conference. He is already a fan favorite in the five boroughs, recently earning the nickname the Big Bodega, a clever play on his size, and his New York and Dominican roots.

“You know you’re stepping into holy ground,” he said of playing at the Garden. “It’s called the Mecca for a reason.”