Gilas 'ultra-competitor' AJ Edu earns Karl-Anthony Towns' respect
BOCAUE, Bulacan — NBA All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns praised Gilas Pilipinas youngster AJ Edu after the latter gave him a hard time in the Dominican Republic’s 2023 FIBA World Cup opener at the Philippine Arena here on Friday.
Towns, who scored 26 points in the Dominicans' 87-81 win over the Philippines, said that Edu forced him to up his game.
WATCH: Dominican Republic’s Karl-Anthony Towns shares his thoughts on AJ Edu, as well as playing in front of a record crowd at Philippine Arena | @StarSportsHub @PhilstarNews #FIBAWWC2023 pic.twitter.com/CReifZvcsv
— Luisa Morales (@mluisamorales_) August 25, 2023
“He’s a fantastic player, he’s an ultra-competitor. I love the competition he brought tonight, it makes me better,” he said.
Despite his high scoring output, Towns struggled from the field with Edu on his tail, shooting only 5-of-16.
The Minnesota Timberwolves star made up for it on the charity stripe, making 15-of-16 of his foul shots.
Though coming away with the win, Towns had nothing but good words for his foes.
“You know, Filipinos are a culture that don’t give up and they played hard, as I expect,” said Towns.
“The culture is nothing but a hardworking people.” he added.
Towns and the rest of the Dominican Republic will look for a 2-0 record and the top spot in Group A when they face Italy on Sunday, August 27.
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