Karl-Anthony Towns’ mother died of COVID-19 complications on April 13. Unfortunately, the year has deteriorated for the NBA star since then.
The 25-year-old Minnesota Timberwolves Center told reporters on the weekend that he had lost an additional six members of his family from the virus—so seven of them—the most recent being his uncle, according to ESPN.
“I’ve seen a lot of coffins in the last seven months,” said Towns. “I have a lot of people who have COVID—in my family and in my mom’s family.
“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.
“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.”
The All-Star also said that he hasn’t been in a good place” since his girlfriend, Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, first went to the hospital earlier this year.
Towns recorded his hardships with a video on his YouTube channel in November entitled “THE TOUGHEST YEAR OF MY LIFE” and revealed that he wanted the filming of the video to be “therapeutic” to him.
He thought that revealing his tragic experiences was a way to convey to people how dangerous the pandemic was, so that they could expect to escape going from what he had experienced.
“I didn’t want people to feel the way I felt,” Towns said. “I wanted to try to keep them from having the ordeal and the situation I was going through.
“It just came from a place that I didn’t want people to feel as lonely and upset as I was. I really made that video just to protect others and keep others well-informed, even though I knew it was going to take the most emotionally out of me that I’ve ever been asked to do.”
According to ESPN, Towns’ parent, Karl Sr., also contracted coronavirus but recovered.
The new NBA season is beginning in a couple of weeks, and while he’s excited to get back to action, Towns is going to do it with a heavy heart.
“It always brought me a smile when I saw my mum at the baseline and in the stands and stuff and having a good time watching me play,” he 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.”