Karl-Anthony Towns talks about losing his mother
For dominant as Karl-Anthony Towns was for the New York Knicksthe decisive force in his life has never been measured in statistics.
Before the world knew him as a star, with postseason runs, lucrative contracts and All-NBA climes, he was his mother’s son first. That identity, according to Towns himself, remains the most important.
When Jacqueline Cruz-Townes passed away in 2020 due to COVID-19, the talent center was devastated. The timing was cruel. The pandemic made everything difficult, including Towns’ grief.
But he had to stay strong for his mother. He had to do his job. However, there were times when sadness crept in.
“Usually her ritual with me was, I’d do my warm-up lines, we’d come out, we’d get into our two lines, and we’d start doing our lay-up lines. My mom made her stand by the pole and just wave at me. It was great, because your mom is there, nothing can go wrong. She got me,” NBAT2 shared.
“I remember that first game in Minnesota, I kept looking and thinking somebody was going to show up and nobody was going to show up, so it was a different feeling.
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It’s been a rough year for the six-time All-Star. After Cruz-Towns, more family members succumbed to COVID-19. The emotional toll was staggering, but Cities have moved forward, showing resilience it helped his career.
Towns has always credited his mother for shaping him into the person he is. Everything he accomplished was rooted in her leadership. He continually honors her with his social contributions, especially in raising awareness about youth health and education.
Cruz-Towns may no longer be in the crowd cheering on her son, but her presence will always remain with Towns, whose fuller story is not about basketball but about a mother’s faith.
2026-02-14 06:06:00
