Karl-Anthony Towns
 

Karl-Anthony Towns will wear a little piece of Timberwolves history, and hopefully a little luck, around his neck at Tuesday's NBA Draft lottery. The newly minted NBA Rookie of the Year told his Twitter followers that he'll be wearing the wedding ring of the late Flip Saunders.

Towns knew Saunders only briefly, having been the coach and general manager's No. 1 overall selection in last summer's NBA Draft. Just months later, Saunders passed away after a battle with cancer.

In that short time, Saunders had made a strong impression on Towns, who has spoken glowingly of him since.


That wedding ring is worn daily by Saunders' son, Ryan, whom Towns credits for permission in the photo. Ryan Saunders is allegedly the person who thought it would be a good idea for Towns to wear the ring to the televised event.

Towns also shared a video of Saunders' reaction to winning the first overall pick last year -- which they ultimately used to draft Towns out of Kentucky:


The Timberwolves finished last season with the fifth-worst record in the NBA, giving them an 8.8 percent chance of landing the top overall pick. The odds aren't great, but maybe luck will be on their side.

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