Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t need the money.
But he has an important standard for his personal card collection – and Yoshinobu Yamamoto didn’t fit the criteria.
“I’m a big Yankee fan,” Towns said. “My collection has a lot of Yankees in it.”
Towns auctioned a one-of-a-kind autographed Yamamoto card Thursday night for $72,000, making it the most expensive sale ever for an L.A. Dodgers pitcher.
Towns, who is earning over $49 million this season as the Knicks power forward, is a card enthusiast who has an Instagram account dedicated to hobby called “BigBodegaCards.”
He said the rarest card in his personal collection is a 1933 Lou Gehrig card, valued at roughly $14,000.
And while Towns, a former pitcher in high school, enjoys watching Yamamoto, he thought somebody else would better appreciate the card.
“I think the world of (Yamamoto) as a player. I love watching him pitch, one of the best in the game, especially as a pitcher growing up, it’s always great when you see the best go out there and play chess with some of the best hitters in the world,” Towns said. “I’m just a Yankee fan. That’s really it. Sometimes someone will appreciate the card more than I will and I want to make sure that’s how the story went.”
Towns sold the card to an undisclosed buyer at a Fanatics Collect action.
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According to The Athletic, the price nearly doubled the previous most expensive Yamamoto card sale from about a year ago.
Towns was videoed unpacking the signed Yamamoto card last week and yelled enthusiastically, “This luck is the greatest.”
He said Friday he also collects “Kaboom” cards and Disney-inspired triple autograph cards.
Karl-Anthony Towns looks on during the Knicks-Heat game on Nov. 17, 2025. NBAE via Getty Images
Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitches during Game 6 of the World Series on Oct. 31, 2025. AP
But Towns, who grew up in Metuchen, NJ, has long expressed his love for the Yankees.
His card collection reflects that – even after he pulled an ultra rare Yamamoto card.
On the court, Towns is still getting accustomed to an unfamiliar role in Mike Brown’s revamped offense.
The 30-year-old All-Star is averaging 21.5 points and 12.8 rebounds in 33.2 minutes while shooting career lows overall from the field (42.9%) and from beyond the arc (31.7%).
“Like I say after almost every game, I want to find different ways to impact this team winning,” Towns said Friday after practice and ahead of Saturday’s game against the Magic. “And just continue to figure everything out. We all are. So definitely on my part I could do a better job hitting some shots. But I’ll get to that. Numbers will always number out. So I’m just staying confident. It’s great to get our first road win. That’s what it’s about. It’s about the wins. So it’s a good start to what we’re trying to accomplish.
“(The offense) is different. It’s different. I haven’t seen it in my 11 years (in the NBA). But I’m having fun with it. I’m just continuing to get better and impact the game, like I said, and impact winning and continue to help our team any way possible.”