Karl-Anthony Towns tells Kevin Hart that Duke was second choice during recruitment

Karl-Anthony Towns the Duke Blue Devil? It was very much on the table for the former Kentucky Wildcats star.

Towns, who eventually picked John Calipari and the Wildcats, went on to become the first pick of the 2015 NBA Draft.

Appearing on season five’s debut of Kevin Hart’s Cold as Balls on the Laugh Out Loud Network, Towns said that Duke was his second choice behind the Wildcats.

“My second school would’ve been Duke,” he said. “I would have went there with Jahlil Okafor and Tyus Jones.”

Towns also admitted Michigan State finished third in the running.

“My third was Michigan State,” Towns said. “I loved Tom Izzo.”

When asked why he ended up choosing Kentucky, Towns discussed UK being the best place to put him in a position to earn an NBA paycheck down the road.

“You know what? When you’re young, and you see your parents struggle. You see that check-by-check isn’t the way to live. I was like...I need to go somewhere I’ll at least get better, but then also I’m trying to make it to the next level. Let’s not kid around.”

While Duke won the national championship during Towns’ loan year at Kentucky, he set out exactly what he wanted to accomplish.

After leading Kentucky to an undefeated regular season, SEC Tournament title and Final Four berth, Towns left for the NBA, where the Minnesota Timberwolves took him first overall in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Towns remains in Minnesota today, where he won Rookie of the Year honors, has been named an All-Star twice, and signed a five-year, $190 million super-maximum extension with the Timberwolves before the start of the 2018-19 season.

The full episode of Hart and Towns’ discussion in the infamous ice bath can be watched below:

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