Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns announced on Instagram on Friday that he tested positive for the corona virus.
The 25-year-old NBA player was particularly disappointed with his diagnosis when his mother, 59-year-old Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, passed away on April 13 from COVID-19.
“Before tonight’s game I got another horrible phone call that I tested positive for COVID,” Towns wrote.
‘I’m going to isolate immediately and follow any protocol. I pray every day that this nightmare of a virus will go away and I beg everyone to continue to take it seriously by taking all necessary precautions. ‘
Continue: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves star, announced he tested positive for COVID-19 via Twitter on Friday; seen on January 13
He continued: “It breaks my heart that my family, especially my father and sister, continue to suffer from the anxiety that this diagnosis brings because we know all too well what the end result could be.”
The athlete addressed his niece and nephew directly and promised that he ‘don’t be pigeonholed next to grandma ‘and’ beat ‘.
‘I pray for you dear. You have this. God has you, ”said Towns’ girlfriend Jordyn Woods, as she continued to help her husband grieve seven of the deaths of his relatives as a result of COVID-19 since March.
Heartbreaking post: Athlete addressed his niece and nephew directly, pledging he would ‘not end up in a box next to Grandma’ and ‘will beat this’
‘I pray for you dear. You have this. God has you, ”his girlfriend noted, as she continued to help her husband grieve seven of the deaths of his relatives as a result of COVID-19.
His announcement came shortly after the NBA announced that Friday’s game between the Timberwolves and the visiting Memphis Grizzlies had been delayed due to the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Last month, during an interview with ESPN about the upcoming NBA season, Towns spoke of seeing “many coffins in the past seven months.”
“I’ve been through a lot, obviously I started with my mom,” Towns said. ‘Last night I got a call that I had lost my uncle. I feel like I’ve been a little bit hardened and humiliated by life. ‘
Tragic: Last month, Towns revealed he has lost seven members of his family to COVID-19, including his mother, pictured above with him in 2016
He did not say which other members of his family had died.
The NBA star said he is still trying to come to terms with his mother’s death while protecting the rest of his family from the ongoing pandemic.
His father, Karl Sr., also tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this year, but has recovered.
Towns, pictured above with mom Jacqueline and dad Karl Sr. revealed that six other members of his family have died from COVID-19 since his mother in April
‘I have many people who – in my family and that of my mother – have received COVID. I’m still looking for answers, looking for ways to keep them healthy.
“It’s just a big responsibility of mine to keep my family well informed and to take all necessary measures to keep them alive,” he added.
Towns’ mother Jacqueline Cruz-Towns died on April 13 at the age of 58 after being placed on a ventilator for 19 days.
Jacqueline Towns-Cruz, pictured with Karl, rarely missed any of her son’s games
Weeks earlier, on March 25, he shared an emotional post on Instagram writing that she was on a ventilator and in a medically induced coma due to COVID-19.
“We need more equipment and we need to help those medical personnel on the front line,” he wrote with the video.
He continued, “Thank you to the medical staff who help my mother. You are all real heroes! Pray for all of us in this difficult time. ‘
Afterward, Towns donated $ 100,000 to the Mayo Clinic to help test patients for COVID-19.
Towns is pictured with his family in 2016. He said Friday that he has been working to protect them from the pandemic since the death of his mother, pictured left, in April.
Towns later confirmed her death with a moving video that showed her by his side in games, press conferences and TV appearances.
His mother had been a constant presence during all the great moments of his career, often highlighted by fans for her enthusiasm to support her son from the crowd.
The basketball star said he felt compelled to share his mother’s story, outlining how he took care of her on social media so that others would better understand the impact of the pandemic.
He and Woods, whose father died in 2017 after being diagnosed with cancer, ‘connected about the loss of a parent at a very young age’ after years of friendship.
Support System: He and Woods, whose father died in 2017 after being diagnosed with cancer, ‘connected over the loss of a parent at a very young age’ after years of friendship
“The right person will get a lot out of you,” she told Extra about the relationship last year. “We’ve been friends for a long time.”
Woods was previously linked to Tristan Thompson, after she was reportedly seen as a hugging NBA player in the early hours of the morning at his Los Angeles home in January 2019.
At the time, Thompson was in a relationship with KUWTK star and baby mama Khloé Kardashian, who has since reconciled. The couple is focused on raising their daughter True, two.
The situation led to Woods falling out with the famous family, including the end of her long-term friendship with Kylie Jenner, 23.
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