Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns will join the Call of Duty League's launch weekend as part of its first celebrity Hype Battle on Jan. 26.

The two-time NBA All-Star and 2016 Rookie of the Year is a noted esports competitor who won the MTN DEW Call of Duty Celebrity PRO-AM alongside Seth "Scump" Abner in September.

Towns will compete in front of his home fans as the inaugural season of the Call of Duty League kicks off Jan. 24-26, hosted by the Minnesota Røkkr at the Minneapolis Armory, a refurbished historic building that once was the home of the Minneapolis Lakers. All 12 CDL teams will be action over three days.

The league will hold Hype Battles featuring celebrities and special guests throughout the season. The three other participants for the first Hype Battle have yet to be announced, but they will compete in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's 2v2 "Gunfight" mode.

Over the first weekend, there will be three CDL matches on Jan. 24, then five on Jan. 25 and four on Jan. 26.

Jan. 24 action features the Chicago Huntsmen vs. the Dallas Empire, the Seattle Surge vs. the Florida Mutineers, and the Los Angeles Guerrillas vs. the Røkkr.

The Jan. 25 matches are the New York Subliners vs. the London Royal Ravens, the Toronto Ultra vs. the Surge, the Guerrillas vs. the Mutineers, Optic Gaming LA vs. the Paris Legion, and the Atlanta Faze vs. the Empire.

The final day of the opening weekend will feature the Legion vs. the Royal Ravens, the Huntsmen vs. Optic Gaming LA, the Subliners vs. the Faze, and the Ultra vs. the Røkkr.

--Field Level Media