For the past eight weeks, Karl-Anthony Towns was locked in on the court, helping the Knicks deliver New York its first NBA championship in 53 years. But he was also making business moves behind the scenes.
Towns is in the process of trademarking a logo incorporating his initials, “KAT.” The mark is intended for sporting articles, specifically basketballs, and was initially filed in October 2025. The application was approved on May 15 and published on June 9, giving the public 30 days to raise any objections to the trademark’s registration. If there’s no opposition, it will move toward the next phase.
The 30-year-old Towns has been pursuing this trademark for some time now. A separate application with the same mark and category classification was filed in 2022. However, it was abandoned three years later.
He also had two other attempts at trademarks that are now inactive as of June, including a logo stylizing the letter “K” and “Karlito,” the name Towns uses for his self-described alter ego and imaginary friend. Both of those marks targeted a wide swath of categories, from mobile games, jewelry and bags to container goods, textiles, clothing and sporting articles.
Towns isn’t the only member of the Knicks dabbling in trademarks. OG Anunoby has had his own logo application in the works since January. That mark uses the letters “OG,” the initials he goes by instead of his given name, Ogugua, and is set to enter its opposition phase later this month.
Even though the trademark hasn’t been registered yet, Anunoby’s logo has been featured on multiple editions of his player exclusive sneakers with Skechers that he’s used in games, like the SKX Nexus “NYC Blue” and the SKX Reign “ADV-OG.”
On Monday, Skechers president Michael Greenberg said the company has “a signature shoe in the works” for the company’s burgeoning star.
Towns and Anunoby are represented by the same agency, CAA, and the same law firm, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP, was listed on all five trademark applications. CAA declined to comment.
A former No. 1 pick with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Towns was long seen as a savior to the Midwestern franchise that has never won an NBA title. He was shipped off to New York two years ago in a three-team trade and played an instrumental role in the Knicks’ title run.
Since arriving in the Big Apple, his off-the-court profile has risen. Towns has 4.6 million Instagram followers, the most of any players on the Knicks roster, and he recently made a cameo in the film The Devil Wears Prada 2.
He earns an estimated $6 million annually off the court from a group of brand partners that includes 2K, Fanatics, Gatorade, Nike, Jomboy, New Era and Bloomingdales. Towns was the No. 40 highest-paid athlete in the world last year, with total earnings of $54.7 million during calendar-year 2025 before taxes and agents’ fees.