Karl-Anthony Towns was born in New Jersey, attended college in Kentucky and spent his entire NBA career in Minnesota.

However, his roots lie in the Dominican Republic. To continue to pay tribute to his late mother’s homeland, Towns announced plans Thursday to help build a state-of-the-art basketball training facility in the country, where children will receive world-class training and access to physical therapy, classrooms, etc. meeting room and more.

Groundbreaking in Santiago, Dominican Republic is scheduled for next year, with completion scheduled for 2026.

“I’ve been very fortunate to live the American dream,” said Towns, a four-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA player who is about to enter his 10th professional season, all with the Timberwolves. “But for me, having different eyes, seeing it through my mother’s eyes and knowing what she has to do to even feel like an American, I wanted to bring the resources that we have here to there and to the children give them the opportunity to have the best equipment and the best opportunities to not only make money for their family, but also to achieve their dreams.”

Jacqueline Cruz-Towns died in April 2020 from complications of COVID-19. She was the center of her son’s world, the woman who taught him the importance of faith and family, sacrifice and hard work. The fact that this facility – Towns is partnering with GO Ministries and World Youth Clubs to make this possible – is being built where it comes from is no coincidence.

“It was really important to me to give back to my community, a country that gave me everything, gave me my mother and gave me this love for the game of basketball,” Towns said. “It gave me the word love, both for family and for understanding how to treat people.”

Towns, also as a tribute to his mother, has represented the Dominican Republic at the junior level in several international tournaments since 2011. He most recently played for the island nation at the 2023 World Cup in the Philippines, averaging 24.4 points in five games.

This basketball facility is part of a complex that also includes two soccer fields, four baseball fields, covered outdoor basketball and volleyball courts, and an educational facility. Towns said it took time to find the right people to run the programs locally – some of whom he has known and trusted for years – and now the “groundwork has been laid,” he said.

Especially his mother, who often took him to church and taught him the importance of helping others even when the family was in trouble, would approve.

“It’s the safe haven for some of these kids who are in different situations and lack resources,” Towns said. “To give these kids a chance to dream and really think about the dream – maybe they don’t make it to the NBA, they don’t make it to the WNBA, they don’t make it to professional baseball, they don’t become a professional volleyball player or they don’t become a great soccer player – but now “I think it’s great that they can develop their life skills and their social skills and also learn to develop passion, determination and dedication.”