Karl-Anthony Towns has tested positive for COVID-19.
Towns, who has lost his mother and six other family members to the virus, revealed his diagnosis in a social media post shortly after Minnesota’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday became the 12th NBA game postponed since last weekend.
“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 of the necessary precautions.”
— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) January 15, 2021
Towns’ mother, Jacqueline Towns, was a fixture at her son’s games from the time he was a five-star high school recruit to the time he became a two-time all-star with the Timberwolves. She was placed in a medically induced coma in March before her condition deteriorated further. She died in April after suffering from the virus for several weeks.
Towns’ father also fell ill with the virus in mid-March but recovered. Prior to the start of the NBA season, Towns told reporters that an uncle of his had recently passed away from the virus, one of seven members in his family who died from it during the pandemic.
“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,” Towns wrote. “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.”
Throughout the pandemic, Towns has urged people to take them novel coronavirus seriously and adhere to every precaution possible.
In March, after his mother was first placed in intensive care, Towns announced he would donate $100,000 to the Mayo Clinic, saying at the time in an Instagram post, “My hope is that we can fight this virus quicker and more efficiently by increasing the testing capabilities and availability and Mayo Clinic’s overall COVID-19 response.”
Following his positive test result, Towns repeated his call for unified action to stem the spread of COVID-19.
“We cannot stop the spread of the virus alone,” Towns wrote. “It must be a group effort by all of us.”
