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If you’re wondering about Karl-Anthony Towns’ is from after seeing him listed on the World Team for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, you’re not alone, because Towns was born and raised in the United States. So why is he on World team anyway?
The short answer: Towns has Dominican heritage through his mother and has represented the Dominican Republic internationally, and the NBA’s new All-Star format is grouping him with the international pool for the World roster.
This year’s setup matters here, too. The 2026 All-Star Game is using a new USA vs. World mini-tournament format (instead of the traditional single game), splitting the All-Stars into two U.S. teams and one World team.
The 2026 All-Star format: why “World Team” is a thing now
The NBA is running a three-team round-robin on Sunday, February 15, 2026 at the Intuit Dome. Each team plays two 12-minute games, and the top two advance to a final, with point differential as a tiebreaker if needed.
One roster is Team World, which is mostly made up of international stars, and that’s where Towns lands this year.
Where is Karl-Anthony Towns From?
Karl-Anthony Towns was born in New Jersey, but his mother, Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, was from the Dominican Republic. That Dominican connection isn’t just trivia; it’s been a major part of how Towns has talked about his identity and basketball ambitions over the years.
Because of his mother’s Dominican citizenship, Towns has long been eligible to play for the Dominican Republic in international competition, and he actually has.
He’s not “switching countries.” He’s represented the Dominican Republic for years
This is the key detail a lot of fans miss: Towns has played for the Dominican Republic national team going back to when he was a teenager, and he has logged official appearances in FIBA events for the country.
That history helps explain why the NBA is comfortable placing him on “World” in this All-Star format. The “World Team” label isn’t a legal citizenship test; it’s a basketball grouping built around international representation and global player identity, and Towns clearly fits that lane because of his Dominican ties and national-team résumé.
Towns is also having another strong season on the stat sheet, which is why he’s a high-visibility name in this new format. Through the 2025-26 season, he’s averaging 19.8 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game, and he’s 30 years old (born November 15, 1995). He’s also not “new” to international hoops: Towns last played for the Dominican Republic at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, his first time suiting up for them in about a decade.
Why fans got confused: he’s an American NBA star (and now a Knick)
The confusion makes sense because Towns is also extremely “American” in the way casual fans think about NBA players: U.S.-born, U.S.-raised, and a longtime face of the league. But for All-Star weekend, the NBA is leaning into international storylines, and Towns’ Dominican background makes him one of the most recognizable “bridge” players for a World roster.
So if you saw “World Team” and thought, “Wait… is Karl-Anthony Towns not American?” — the cleanest way to say it is: He’s American-born, with Dominican heritage through his mother, and he has represented the Dominican Republic internationally, which is why he’s grouped with Team World in the NBA’s new All-Star format.
Erik Anderson is an award-winning sports journalist covering the NBA, MLB and NFL for Heavy.com. He also focuses on the trading card market. His work has appeared in nationally-recognized outlets including The New York Times, Associated Press , USA Today, and ESPN. More about Erik Anderson
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