NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns, who lost mother to virus, tests positive for COVID-19
The NBA has postponed three games, including a match-up between Towns' Minnesota Twins and Memphis Grizzlies, due to coronavirus health protocols
Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns has tested positive for coronavirus and the team’s bout with the Memphis Grizzlies was subsequently postponed.
The NBA all-star made the announcement of his diagnosis on his Twitter page Friday.
Towns, 25, wrote that he was informed that he tested positive prior to the Timberwolves’ scheduled game against the Grizzlies. The starting center wrote that he will “immediately isolate” himself and “follow every protocol.”
Due to contact tracing, several Timberwolves players became ineligible to play in the game, according to the NBA.
This prompted the league to postpone the match-up, given that the Timberwolves did not have a league minimum of eight eligible players. The NBA also announced Friday that back-to-back games between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards on Sunday and Monday have been postponed for the same reason.
READ MORE: Charles Barkley: NBA players should skip vaccine line because of higher tax bracket
“I pray every day that this nightmare of a virus will subside and I beg everyone to continue to take it seriously by taking all the necessary precautions,” Towns continued. “We cannot stop the spread of the virus alone, it must be a group effort by all of us.”
Testing positive for COVID-19 hits Towns particularly hard. His mother, Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, died of coronavirus complications back in April at age 58. In December, Towns revealed that he has lost a total of seven relatives to the virus.
READ MORE: NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns says seven family members have died from COVID
“It breaks my heart that my family, and particularly my father and sister continue to suffer from the anxiety that comes along with this diagnosis as well know all too well what the end result can be,” Towns said in the Twitter post. “To my niece and nephew, Jolani and Max, I promise you I will not end up in a box next to grandma and I will beat this.”
The two-time All-Star expressed his distraught emotions after losing his mother to COVID-19 when the NBA returned for regular season play in December.
“I don’t even recognize most of my other games and years I’ve played and how I felt those days,” Towns said in a press conference following a game with the Detroit Pistons last month.
“If I can be honest with y’all for a second, I mean, I don’t really recall or really care. I only know what happened from April 13 on,” he added. “Because you may see me smiling and stuff, but that Karl died on April 13. He’s never coming back. I don’t remember that man.”
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!
