Karl-Anthony Towns: Playing for Knicks 'would be an honor and a privilege'

Top NBA prospect Karl-Anthony Towns' fondness for the New York Knicks dates back to his days as a young child growing up in New Jersey.

"I’ve always been a Knicks fan," Towns told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. "I never was able to afford passes to the games. We were able to afford cable and got the MSG channel so I could watch every Knick game. It made me more of a fan because I could watch every big game.

"My best friend was a Nets fan so it made for a cool rivalry. My favorite player for the Knicks is a tie between Walt Frazier and Patrick Ewing, but I liked Patrick Ewing a lot. But I’ve never been to a Knicks game. I could never afford to go there."

Towns is expected to be one of the first three players taken in the 2015 NBA Draft. The Knicks, who finished the regular season with the worst record in the Eastern Conference at 17-65, have a 19.9 percent chance of winning Tuesday's NBA Draft Lottery and securing the No. 1 overall pick.

"It would be an honor and a privilege to play for the Knicks organization," Towns said, according to Steve Serby of the New York Post. "But wherever the chips fall, the chips fall. I just can’t wait to play basketball at the next level."

It's clear that the 19-year-old will be willing to compete for whichever team selects him, but to be taken by the Knicks and hit the hardwood at Madison Square Garden on a regular basis would be something extra special.

"It’s gonna be, I guess a childhood dream," Towns said, "rooting for the Knicks all this time, and the next thing you know, you hear an organization call your name to go out there and give it your best shot."

That's not to say he'd be unhappy elsewhere.