"I don't think I was the vital reason": Karl-Anthony Towns refuses to take credit for Dominican Republic's stellar run in FIBA World Cup

Karl-Anthony Towns and the Dominican Republic secured their spot in the second round of the FIBA World Cup 2023 after a clean sweep in Group A.

With their 75-67 victory over Angola on Tuesday, the Dominicans finished with a 3-0 record and came closer to their minimum target to reach the Top 8. They will now take on two teams from Group B, with Serbia and Puerto Rico as frontrunners to claim the top two spots.

After the game, Towns, who was in foul trouble early on and scored just eight points on 15 minutes of action, didn't want to take any credit for the team's impressive start. Instead, he had high praise for his head coach, Nestor Garcia, and his teammates.

"We got the win. Dominican Republic is going crazy right now. My opening statement is pretty simple. We have a special team, everyone counted us out, didn't think we could be great. But in practice, with one of the best coaches in the world in Che, we believed that we could do something amazing. And I think that the world will notice now. A great coach. I would say from the bottom of my heart that I think all the Dominican Republic needs to send their gratitude, thanks and love to coach Che. Because without him, I don't think any of this would be possible," Towns said.

"I don't think I was the vital reason we won any of these games. I think that we are all pieces of the puzzle finding ways to win. We have done an amazing job together as a family, as a team of finding ways to win together. I don't want to sit up here and say I was the most vital reason. I don't believe in that. I think we all have a reason. There is not one person that could win a game. It takes a team."

Karl-Anthony Towns wants to have a deep run with Dominican Republic in FIBA World Cup

Karl-Anthony Towns returned to the national team for the first time in 10 years. The last time he suited up for the Dominican Republic was in 2013 for the FIBA Americas.

The Minnesota Timberwolves superstar always wanted to join his national team in major international competitions, but injuries and the need to rest after tough NBA seasons prevented him from participating.

However, this summer, he refused to skip the tournament and aims to guide his team to a deep run in the World Cup.

"This is the FIBA World Cup. It's not about stats. This is about bringing pride to our country. It's about a win. We wanted to be able to say we won three games in a row in the World Cup. We wanted to be able to say we were the first in our group," Towns said.

Towns is averaging 19.3 points and 7.7 rebounds on 27.2 minutes on the floor, while he shoots at 37.5 percent from beyond the arc. The Dominicans will have two days to rest as the second round kicks off on Friday, September 1.