Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns announced that he tested positive for coronavirus over Instagram on Friday.
The NBA player, 25, was particularly crestfallen about his diagnosis as his mother, 59-year-old Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, passed away from complications of COVID-19 on April 13.
‘Prior to tonight’s game, I received yet another awful call that I tested positive for COVID,’ Towns wrote.
‘I will immediately isolate and follow every protocol. 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.’
Pushing through: Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns announced that he tested positive for COVID-19 over Twitter on Friday; seen on January 13
He continued: ‘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 we know all too well what the end result could be.’
Addressing his niece and nephew directly, the athlete promised he would ‘not end up in a box next to grandma’ and will ‘beat this.’
‘Praying for you baby. You got this. God’s got you,’ commented Towns’ girlfriend Jordyn Woods, while continuing to help her man grieve seven of his relatives’ deaths, due to COVID-19, since March.
Heart-wrenching post: Addressing his niece and nephew directly, the athlete promised he would ‘ not end up in a box next to grandma’ and will ‘beat this’
‘Praying for you baby. You got this. God’s got you,’ his girlfriend commented, while continuing to help her man grieve seven of his relatives’ deaths, due to COVID-19
His announcement came shortly after the NBA announced Friday’s game between the Timberwolves and the visiting Memphis Grizzlies was postponed 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 a ‘a lot of coffins in the last seven months.’
‘I’ve been through a lot, obviously starting out with my mom,’ Towns said. ‘Last night I got a call that I lost my uncle. I feel like I’ve been hardened a little bit by life and humbled.’
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 passed away.
The NBA star said that he is still trying to process the death of his mother as he looks to protect the rest of his family from the ongoing pandemic.
His father, Karl Sr., also tested positive for coronavirus earlier in the year but has recovered.
Towns, pictured above with mother Jacqueline and father Karl Sr. revealed that six other members of his family have died of COVID-19 since his mother in April
‘I have a lot of people who have – in my family and my mom’s family – gotten COVID. I’m the one looking for answers still, trying to find how to keep them healthy.
‘It’s just a lot of responsibility on me to keep my family well-informed and to make all the moves necessary to keep them alive,’ he added.
Towns’ mom 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 one of her son’s games
Weeks prior, he shared an emotional post to Instagram on March 25 in which he wrote that she was on a ventilator and in a medically-induced coma as a result of COVID-19.
‘We need more equipment and we need to help those medical personnel on the front lines,’ he wrote with the video.
He continued: ‘Thank you to the medical staff who are helping my mom. You are all the true heroes! Praying for all of us at this difficult time.’
Afterward, Towns donated $100,000 to the Mayo Clinic to help with testing patients for COVID-19.
Towns is pictured with his family in 2016. He said Friday that he has been working to keep them safe from the pandemic since the death of his mother, pictured left, in April
Towns later confirmed her death with a touching video showing her by his side at games, press conference and TV appearances.
His mother had been a constant presence through all the large moments of his career, and was often highlighted by fans for her enthusiasm in supporting her son from the crowds.
The basketball star said that he felt compelled to share his mother’s story, detailing how he cared for her on social media, so others would better understand the impact of the pandemic.
He and Woods, whose father died in 2017 after being diagnosed with cancer, ‘connected about losing 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 about losing a parent at a very young age’ after years of friendship
‘The right person will bring a lot out of you,’ she told Extra about the relationship last year. ‘We have been friends for a long time.’
Woods was previously linked to Tristan Thompson, after she was reportedly spotted smooching NBA player in the early hours of the morning at his Los Angeles home in January of 2019.
At the time, Thompson was in a relationship with KUWTK star and baby mama Khloé Kardashian, who has since reconciled with. The pair are focused on raising their daughter True, two.
The situation led to Woods having a falling out with the famous family, including the end of her longtime friendship with Kylie Jenner, 23.
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