Karl-Anthony Towns takes on top streetballers at Venice Beach

Karl-Anthony Towns hit the famous blacktop at Venice Beach recently as part of a shoot for Gatorade's Beat the Heat program, going up against top streetball talent like Larry "The Bone Collector" Williams and Joyce "Sweet J" Ekworomadu.

The Minnesota Timberwolves center, who hails from New Jersey, told For The Win that it helped reconnect him to his roots.

"It's a different setting (than an indoor gym), but the biggest thing is this is where I started. This is where my grit, passion, desire, and a lot of my love started here, started playing outside," Towns said. "And it's thanks to Gatorade that I'm able to again go outside where I started my career, really, and get to go play not only against some great players, but the best legends that streetball has to offer."