"He's the one and only Manny Pacquiao" -  Karl-Anthony Towns gives wholesome account of his meeting with Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao

In the FIBA World Cup 2023 opener, Karl-Anthony Towns made his presence known against the Philippines. The Timberwolves center put up 26 points (5-of-16 shooting) and 10 rebounds in helping his country secure the 87-81 win.

From the game itself, the matchup was tightly-contested throughout, with both teams putting on their best performances against one another. Be that as it may, Towns is familiar with how competitive the Philippines gets when it comes to sports.

Speaking of the country's competitive nature, Towns mentioned his respect for Manny Pacquiao, the Philippines' celebrated boxer, as per an interview with CNN Philippines' Andrei Felix.

"He's not only a legend in Filipino sports," Towns said, "he's a legend in all sports. He's the one and only Manny Pacquiao."

Additionally, Karl-Anthony Towns also talked about how he knows the boxer himself.

"I've known Pac-Man for a minute," Towns said. "I was with him in his training camp when he was getting ready to fight -- it was Errol Spence then Errol Spence dropped out. I was fortunate to meet him there, watch him spar, see him train, see him what makes him great. You know it's been years from then and now."

"We got to this moment where I got to reconnect, catch up and meet his family and get to spend time with him so it was really fun to be there, it was fun to catch up" Towns added. "We had some great conversations."

From Towns' comments alone, he has admiration for the success and legacy of Pacquiao throughout his long career.

Despite their different sports professions, the three-time All-Star is well aware of the legendary status Manny Pacquiao has carved for himself.

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Karl-Anthony Towns on competing against the Philippines in the opener for the FIBA World Cup 2023

In a CNN Philippines article written by CJ Marquez, Karl-Anthony Towns talked about competing against the Philippines,

"It's really fun to be able to see the best Filipino players in the world," Towns said. "I was excited to compete against June Mar (Fajardo) and the best big men that the Philippines has ever produced."

His admiration for the Philippines' competitive spirit stems from facing the best that international basketball competition has to offer. To add to this, international basketball is different from how NBA basketball is played.

Despite the difference, Towns led the way for his Dominican Republic team to start their World Cup journey on a great note.

Competing against the best players in the world brought out the best in the Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns, as he put on an electric performance against the Philippines' best centers.