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Karl-Anthony Towns takes a swipe at Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson during ESPYs
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Karl-Anthony Towns takes a swipe at Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson during ESPYs

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert  |  Last updated Jul 16, 2026 1:44 PM ET
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Karl-Anthony Towns produced some good banter at this week’s ESPY Awards.

The New York Knicks star Towns was in attendance during Wednesday’s ESPYs at David H. Koch Theater in New York, N.Y. Towns was interviewed by ESPN before the ceremony and was asked about the Knicks being nominated for the 2026 Best Team Award.

At one point during his response, Towns took a funny swipe at Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson.

“Analytically, we should win this one,” said Towns. “We should win this one analytically.”

For reference, the Knicks defeated the Cavaliers in a four-game sweep during this year’s Eastern Conference Finals. After losing Game 3 to go down 0-3, Atkinson made some absurd comments about how Cleveland had actually won two out of the three games “analytically” (and got very deservedly roasted online for it).

Eventually, the Knicks went on to beat the San Antonio Spurs in five games during the NBA Finals to win the championship. They indeed went on to win Wednesday night’s Best Team Award at the ESPYs as well, continuing on what has already been quite the victory tour for both Towns and the Knicks.

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