Fat Joe throws down the gauntlet to Shaquille O'Neal & Co with audacious Karl-Anthony Towns claim

Hip hop legend Fat Joe made a bold take regarding Karl-Anthony Towns' spot among the greatest big men of all time. The former Minnesota Timberwolves star is in his first season with the New York Knicks and is making some noise with one of the most iconic franchises in the NBA.

During Thursday's episode of Carmelo Anthony's "7PM in Brooklyn" show, Joe made a case for Towns not only as a major name in the league this season but as the greatest offensive big man ever.

"I don't think I've seen a better offensive big man in my life than KAT," Joe said. "I've sat in the game and watch KAT do 10 moves. You cannot know what he's gonna give you. Hit 'em with the left, hit 'em with the right; spin on you this way, that way, that way. That's impossible to guard. He's dumb.

"I'm talking about (Hakeem) Olajuwon. Shaq is the most dominant big man, but he ain't doing. ... My take is, he's too hard to guard. If he was at the Rucker, they would call him 'Too Hard To Guard.' Your little jab step, they know what you gonna do. They mad 'cause they can't stop it. I watch the guy do 10 of those moves and I was like, 'holy s**t.' I'm telling you, this guy's special."

Karl-Anthony Towns has had a terrific start to the 2024-25 season with the Knicks. He has meshed well with the rest of the team, but injuries have started to bother him in recent days.

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Karl-Anthony Towns labeled a top-5 MVP candidate by former NBA champion

After a terrific series against the Toronto Raptors last week, Kendrick Perkins had nothing but good things to say about Karl-Anthony Towns' performance with the Knicks.

The 2008 NBA champion put Towns among the NBA Most Valuable Player candidates with a post on X (formerly Twitter).

"KAT (Karl-Anthony Towns) has definitely entered into the Top 5 early MVP conversation," Perkins tweeted following New York's 113-108 win over the Toronto Raptors.

In 23 games this season, Towns is averaging 24.9 points, 13.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, shooting 52.9% from the field, 44.2% from deep and 83.7% from the free-throw line.

The Knicks boast a 15-10 record and rank fourth in the Eastern Conference standings, behind the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and the Orlando Magic, respectively.