John Calipari recalls Lakers interest in Karl-Anthony Towns before 2015 NBA Draft

The NBA could seen rookie Karl-Anthony Towns and Kobe Bryant team in Los Angeles during the 2015-16 season. According to John Calipari, the former Kentucky star received interest from the Lakers during the pre-draft process.

The only issue — the Lakers were picking second overall in 2015. Towns, who was eventually selected No. 1 overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves, had no interest in sliding that far.

“I said, ‘you may want to be the two pick and be in LA,'” Calipari told Towns at the time, via the Pat McAfee show. Towns responded. “No, I’ll wear a coat. I want to be the No. 1 pick.”

At the time, the Lakers had Kobe Bryant, fellow Kentucky alum Julius Randle, Roy Hibbert, Jordan Clarkson and more on its roster. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves were coming off a 16-66 season and would miss the playoffs in five or Towns first six years with the organization. Bryant was heading into his final season in the league, but it appeared to be a better launching pad for him to begin his NBA career. Instead, the Lakers selected Ohio State‘s D’Angelo Russell.

However, Towns was the consensus No. 1 pick for the entire pre draft process in 2015. Coming off a Final Four run with Calipari and Kentucky, five of his teammates at UK were also drafted. Towns was looked at as the crown jewel of that group that included fellow first-round draft choices Devin Booker, Willie Cauley-Stein and Trey Lyles.

The Timberwolves saw Towns as a player they could build their organization around. They weren’t going to pass him up. He ultimately spent nine seasons with the Timberwolves, enjoying success later in his tenure after the team selected Anthony Edwards in 2020. Calipari said Towns ultimately enjoyed his time in Minnesota.

Towns was traded to the New York Knicks last offseason in a three-team deal that included the Charlotte Hornets. He went on to have one of the best seasons of his career during the 2024-25 season, averaging 24.4 points per game and 12.8 rebound, the latter of which is a career high and ranked second in the association during the regular season.

Alongside Jalen Brunson, Towns helped lead the Knicks back to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000. Despite their success, New York fired head coach Tom Thibodeau after losing the series to the Indiana Pacers. He’s still looking for his first NBA championship.