Nobody in the Knicks’ locker room has more fun handing out nicknames than Josh Hart. The veteran guard has made it almost a side hustle, branding his teammates with tags that stick in group chats and resurface on social media. Josh Hart’s favorite target has been Jalen Brunson, often teasing him with the nickname “Fat Head” and even joking that his bobblehead looked a little too accurate. Those jabs, as silly as they sound, have become part of the Knicks’ culture.

So when Karl-Anthony Towns arrived in New York after the blockbuster trade that sent him from Minnesota to the Knicks, Josh Hart wasted little time making him part of the locker room banter. Back in July 2024, during the team’s offseason media runs and podcast appearances, Hart rolled out a series of playful nicknames for the new big man, everything from “Kat” to “The Big Bodega” to the now-viral “Big Meow.” It was classic Hart, the class clown of the Knicks, but the thing about nicknames is they have a way of growing on you. What begins as a joke in the locker room can turn into a badge you end up carrying, and that’s starting to happen with KAT.

Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t wait long to set the record straight on his new life as a Knick. Sitting across from Jimmy Fallon on The Jimmy Fallon Show, he was handed a playful challenge: run through a list of nicknames, thumb up or thumb down, no explanations required. The audience leaned in, sensing this was the moment Towns would finally weigh in on the names that had been floating around since Josh Hart unleashed them over the summer.

Fallon started simple. “Kat.” Towns smiled and gave it an easy thumbs-up. The crowd agreed, short, clean, and true to who he is. “Kit-Kat” came next, and that one landed as well. Towns admitted he actually has a soft spot for the chocolate bar, so the nickname passed without hesitation. Then Fallon leaned into the New York theme: “Bodega Kat.” The late-night crowd erupted, and Towns played along, approving it with a grin. He even liked the upgrade to “The Big Bodega,” nodding as the cheers grew louder. Up to that point, every nickname had worked because it either connected to his personality or his new city.

But then came the twist. Fallon read out “The Big Meow,” and Towns didn’t even let the idea breathe. “Yeah, that sounds like a Josh Hart. No. No. Absolutely not,” he said, looking directly into the camera, “Josh Hart, if you’re watching this, I don’t like that, either.” It was a clear shoutout to his teammate, who had been behind the joke all summer. The audience laughed, but Towns made sure he was clear – not every nickname was welcome. And when Fallon followed with “The Big Purr,” Towns doubled down, flashing two thumbs down and shaking his head. “That’s even worse than what Josh Hart says,” he added, making sure Hart’s name stayed attached to the gag while firmly rejecting it.

Jalen Brunson’s endorsement signals KAT’s true fit in New York

For all the jokes Josh Hart tosses around, the more telling signal about Karl-Anthony Towns’ arrival in New York came from Jalen Brunson. In a sit-down earlier this month, Brunson went deeper about KAT’s production, praising the way Towns had already blended into the locker room. “Having him as a teammate has been really fun,” Brunson said. “The things that he’s been able to do in a short period of time being a Knick has been amazing,” the captain reassured. That sort of endorsement matters because chemistry has become the Knicks’ calling card, the thread that kept them tight even as Villanova ties were shuffled in the offseason. Brunson’s nod came shortly after Towns faced a round of public criticism.

It is clear that Towns isn’t just a hired gun, but a teammate who fits the culture. He is a major part of the reason the Knicks are seen as one of the best teams in the East. KAT averaged 24.3 points, 12.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in what was his debut season for New York. And although questions about his efficiency were raised at different points of the campaign, the player converted over 52% of his shots over the campaign and the nicknames only suggest what the stats build on: he is New York, through and through.

That kind of validation can boost KAT’s confidence while easing any doubts others may have had about how he’d mesh. At the heart of it, Hart’s playful nicknames and Brunson’s public backing point to the same truth – Towns is being welcomed in.