Karl-Anthony Towns reveals he lost six other family members from COVID-19 after losing his mother

During a Zoom media session, Karl-Anthony Towns said he has lost six other family members from COVID-19 in addition to his mother.

“I’ve been through a lot, obviously starting out with my mom,” Towns said Friday. “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.”

“I’ve seen a lot of coffins in the last seven months,” Towns said. “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.”

Towns also talked about the challenge of getting back to playing basketball without his mother, who rarely missed one of his games.

“It always brought me a smile when I saw my mom at the baseline and in the stands and stuff and having a good time watching me play,” Towns said. “It is going to be hard to play. It’s going to be difficult to say this is therapy. I don’t think [playing basketball] will ever be therapy for me again. But it gives me a chance to relive good memories I had.”