NBA
Karl-Anthony Towns Will Never Be The Same After His Tragic 2020: ‘My Soul Has Been Killed Off’
Joe Kozlowski began his career as a sports journalist in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2019. He covers the NBA and soccer for Sportscasting, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he's a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie. Growing up loving Shaquille O'Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history — likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center — he's continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives. As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He's barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe's big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level. Regardless of the sport, Joe is captivated by the stories of athletes beyond the box scores and how they push the envelope — both in terms of what we think a human is capable of accomplishing and how they find new competitive tactics to win.
Get to know Joe Kozlowski betterPublished24 Dec 2020
While the year 2020 has been tough for virtually everyone, Karl-Anthony Towns dealt with more challenges than most. Since the COVID-19 pandemic reached the United States, the Minnesota Timberwolves big man has tragically lost his mother and six other family members. On Wednesday night, though, he and his teammates returned to the court.
After the game, though, Karl-Anthony Towns revealed that, despite playing basketball again, he would never be the same after his tragic 2020. The center even went as far as saying that his “soul has been killed off.”
Karl-Anthony Towns lost his mother during a tragic 2020
RELATED: Andrew Wiggins Just Threw Karl-Anthony Towns Under Bus
On the basketball court, Karl-Anthony Towns is a talented big man who’s capable of making a major impact every time he takes the floor. During 2020, though, he was powerless to watch as the coronavirus decimated his family.
Shortly after the NBA season was suspended in March, Towns shared that his mother, Jacqueline Cruz, had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and was in a medically induced coma. Unfortunately for the family, that was only the start of the bad news.
As Towns explained in a Youtube video called “The Toughest Year Of My Life,” Cruz seemed to be on the road to recovery when a stroke derailed her progress. The Timberwolves star was faced with the daunting task of informing his relatives that his mother had no meaningful chance of recovery; once everyone had said their goodbyes, he “pulled the plug.”
The tragic deaths didn’t end there, though. As documented by CNN, Towns told reporters in early December that six other members of his family had died from COVID-19; his father also had the virus but recovered.
Returning to the basketball court in a big way
On Wednesday, December 23, the Minnesota Timberwolves returned to the basketball court to kick-off the 2020-21 NBA season. Fortunately for the franchise, Karl-Anthony Towns also returned to the court in a big way.
While the big man only played 30 minutes in Minnesota’s opening-night win over the Detroit Pistons, he still made quite an impact. After a pre-game video tribute and moment of silence for his mother, Towns scored 22 points, dished out seven assists, and pulled down 11 rebounds.
After the game’s final whistle, Towns also took home the game ball in honor of his late mother. In that moment, it almost seemed like the tragedy of 2020 had come to a fairy-tale ending.
Karl-Anthony Towns reveals that his ‘soul has been killed off’
RELATED: Rudy Gobert’s COVID-19 Diagnosis Halted the 2020 NBA Season But Also Made Him a Hero
After the game ended, Karl-Anthony Towns explained that retaking the court (understandably) meant a great deal to him. Returning to the floor with his teammates, however, couldn’t undo everything that happened in 2020.
“You may see me smiling and stuff, but that Karl died on April 13th,” Towns explained, according to ESPN. “He’s never coming back. I don’t remember that man. I don’t know that man. You’re talking to the physical me, but my soul has been killed off a long time ago.”
After their opening night win, the Timberwolves will embark on a three-game road trip; it’s an only sports cliche that hitting can be a bonding experience and a chance to get away from the pressures awaiting at home. While that may be true for some, Karl-Anthony Towns isn’t going to forget his tragic 2020. As the center said, he’s quite literally a different man now.
