Karl-Anthony Towns Has Emotional Moment With Father

It was an emotional night for Karl-Anthony Towns on Sunday.

Towns’ mother, Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, was diagnosed with COVID-19 in March 2020 and placed in a medically induced coma. She passed away 19 days later on April 13, at age 58. It was the first of many tragedies that the All-Star experienced. Towns lost six more family members including his grandmother to the coronavirus. The Minnesota Timberwolves star missed the first 13 games of the season because he was diagnosed with COVID himself.

When Minnesota hit the court to play against the Orlando Magic on Mother’s Day, he was emotional. The Wolves’ All-Star was being consoled by his father, Karl Sr, who hugged and comforted his son. It was the second Mother’s Day without his mother.

Towns’ father spoke about what it meant for him to be spending the day with his son on a grim day. “It’ll be emotional,” Towns Sr. said. “But it’ll be rewarding because she’ll be happy to know we’re still doing the stuff that she would want us to do.”

“[Mother’s Day] always brought a smile to my face. It’s gonna be different for me,” the Wolves’ All-Star said. “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, you know what I’m trying to say. I’m very fortunate that my father is with me. It’s something that I think that both of us understand the pain.”