Knicks' Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns make NY All-Star history
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Two New York Knicks, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, were selected as 2025 NBA All-Star starters. The league announced the starters for each of its conferences on Thursday. The two Knicks will be accompanied by Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, and Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
It is the first time since 1975 that the Knicks have had two starters selected for the NBA All-Star Game. That year, the team sent its “Rolls Royce Backcourt” to Phoenix, Arizona to compete in the 25th-ever All-Star Game. Frazier took home the event’s MVP award after scoring 30 points in a win.
Didn't call us Rolls Royce Backcourt for nothing. @nyknicks@WaltFrazierhttps://t.co/HMUFQRxunw
— Earl The Pearl Monroe (@RealEarlMonroe) August 28, 2021
This time, things are quite different for the duo of Knickerbocker starters. Frazier and Monroe had already won a championship together in 1973. And that was Frazier’s second title win of his Knick career.
The Knicks front office paired Brunson and Towns together this past offseason. The duo is 0-0 in the NBA Playoffs together. Brunson had not advanced past the second round before Towns’ arrival.
The two Knick All-Stars are not going to convince anyone who doubts the team as a contender that they should change their tune with their performances at the Chase Center. Nobody will be defending them, or anybody else on the court.
The NBA All-Star Game is no longer a testing ground for young stars to rise up the pecking order. The world saw a young Kobe Bryant use Madison Square Garden as a trampoline in 1998. Those days are over. The best part of the event for young superstars might be the honor of making it and spending the week around NBA royalty, at this point.
But for the Knicks, the difference is simply having their players be part of that mix instead of on the outside, looking in. Fifty years have passed since the franchise sent Frazier and Monroe to Arizona. It is clear that sending Brunson and Towns in 2025 won’t win the team a championship ring.
But the selections represent much more for the Knicks and their fanbase. The streets of New York City are buzzing with real hope that this could be the first team since the late 1990’s to reach the NBA Finals – but this time, cap it off with a championship.
Brunson and Towns are the two best players on the Knicks. They are both signed at least through the 2027 NBA season, as are Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, and Deuce McBride. There is one starter signed just through the 2026 season in Mikal Bridges, but rumors of an extension coming after the season begun months back.
This Knicks team created a runway for itself with aggressive offseason maneuvers. Having two players named to the starting lineup of the All-Star Game is one loud announcement to the NBA that this team is almost ready to go wheels-up.
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