Karl-Anthony Towns breaks down in tears at 1st game since mom’s death

Since Jacqueline Cruz Towns' passing, her son said, he's been preoccupied with trying to keep other kinfolk safe.

Dec 14, 2020

Minnesota Timberwolves player Karl-Anthony Towns was seen shedding tears before taking to the basketball court for the first time since losing his mother to COVID-19.

Towns sat on the bench crying while being comforted by fellow ‘Wolves players, coaches and staff at the Target Center during 2020-2021 preseason NBA play in Minneapolis Saturday night.

You can see the emotions from Karl-Anthony Towns who didn't walk out like usual in the pregame introduction. Towns lost his mom earlier this year due to complications of COVID-19 & spoke recently of how tough it'll be to be play knowing she's not there to watch him #Timberwolves pic.twitter.com/KlpTO0WvN6
— Pierre Noujaim (@TheNoujFOX9) December 13, 2020

During training camp earlier this month, Towns told the press he “played this game more because I just love watching my family members see me play a game that I was very successful and good at.”

“It always brought a smile for me when I saw my mom at the baseline,” he said, “or in the stands having a good time.”

A reporter asked Towns if he would ever be able to see the game as a sort of therapy. He indicated he wouldn’t.

“It’s going to be hard to play,” he responded. “It’s going to be hard to say this is therapy. I don’t think this will ever be therapy again for me again. But it gives me a chance to re-live good memories I’ve had.”

Towns lost his mother and six other family members, including an uncle, to the deadly coronavirus that has killed nearly 300,000 Americans.

“I’ve lost a lot,” said Towns. “Close family members, people who have raised me, who have gotten me here, yesterday being another moment where I have to look back at my life with that person and try to get through that.”

Jacqueline Cruz Towns died from complications of coronavirus in April. Since her passing, her son said, he’s been preoccupied with trying to keep his other kinfolk safe.

“Trying to keep my sister, the kids, my dad out of harm’s way,” said Towns. “I’ve seen a lot of coffins in the last seven months, eight months. But I have a lot of people in my family, in my mom’s family, who have gotten COVID, and I’m the one looking for answers still, trying to keep them healthy.”

The Timberwolves did not play in the 2019-2020 season in the NBA bubble in Orlando. The preseason game on Saturday was their first since the beginning of the pandemic.

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