After a year of tragic losses, NBA player Karl-Anthony Towns showed just how difficult the season has been for him during an emotional embrace with his father on Mother’s Day.
The Minnesota Timberwolves center broke down before the start of his game on Sunday against the Orlando Magic, visibly upset over his mom’s passing, Sports Illustrated reported.
In a press conference post-game, Towns shared that he and his mother were very close.
“I just have so much to thank my mom for,” Towns said. “I feel like if I didn’t have her and my father and my sister, I don’t think I would have the character I have, nor would I have the strength to hold the character I have through what the NBA life contains and the job contains, as well.”
On April 13, 2020, Towns lost his mother, Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, 58, due to COVID-19. According to Sports Illustrated, she died just 19 days after being diagnosed. His mother was one of a total of seven family members, including Towns’ grandmother, to die from the virus, as Blavity previously reported.
Sunday marked the second Mother’s Day Towns and his father, Towns Sr., experienced without her. His father also contracted the virus in 2020 but recovered shortly after. Towns, 25, had also tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced to miss 13 games earlier in the season, according to CBS Sports.
A Twitter account for the Timberwolves fandom posted a “Stay strong” tribute for Towns with a picture of him and his parents during one of his old games.
Karl-Anthony Towns shared an emotional moment on Mother's Day with his dad, Karl Sr. ????
KAT’s mother, Jacqueline, died due to complications from COVID-19 in 2020. pic.twitter.com/yyK5jq33J6
— ESPN (@espn) May 9, 2021
In recent interviews, Towns has been open about his mother’s death and how the losses in his family have affected him. Towns told Pioneers Press he has stayed strong with the support of his father who has been present at all his games since March, sporting his No. 32 jersey.
“[Mother’s Day] always brought a smile to my face. It’s gonna be different for me. But there’s a lot of memories to cherish on Sunday, and I’m glad I got the basketball so I can have something that can take my mind off of it,” Towns said. “I’m very fortunate that my father is with me. It’s something that I think that both of us understand the pain.”
Towns shared a series of photos of him with his mother on Sunday in a post on Instagram, Fansided reported.
According to USA Today, Towns had planned to honor his mother with a dinner and a prayer. His father said Cruz-Towns would never want her son to stop being the best he can be.
“We haven’t stopped living," Towns Sr. said. "She would want us to keep moving forward and celebrate our love for her and our love for ourselves and the family. We’re going to continue to do the exact same thing we’ve been doing.”
As for Towns, he will be using the rest of the season to push forward after a lot of deep reflection of a difficult past year, Sports Illustrated.
“I’ve put basketball front and center in my life so I wouldn’t have to deal with the demons on the back end, but it’s going to be good to really get some help,” Towns said. “I’m just going to be taking a step back and truly take a moment to give myself a pat on the back and be happy of how far I’ve come.”
On Sunday night, the Timberwolves went on to beat Orlando with a 128-96 point game, Yardbarker reported.
