Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves reacts during the fourth quarter of the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center on January 13, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Grizzlies defeated the Timberwolves 118-107. (Hannah Foslien/Getty Images/AFP)
LOS ANGELES – Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns said Friday he had tested positive for COVID-19, vowing to overcome the disease that last year claimed the life of his mother and six other family members.
The 25-year-old power forward confirmed news of his positive case in a statement on Twitter, shortly after the NBA confirmed Minnesota’s game against Memphis on Friday had been postponed.
“Prior to tonight’s game, I received yet another awful call that I tested positive for COVID,” said Towns.
— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) January 15, 2021
“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.
“We cannot stop the spread of this virus alone, it must be a group effort by all of us.”
In April last year, Towns’ mother, Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, died at the age of 58 after contracting COVID-19. Towns father also contracted the disease but recovered.
US media reports have said six other members of Towns’ extended family had died from coronavirus complications.
“I’ve a seen a lot of coffins in the last seven months,” Towns said in December before the start of the new NBA season.
“It breaks my heart that my family, 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 said in his statement on Friday.
“To my niece and nephew… I promise you I will not end up in a box next to grandma and I will beat this.”
Towns’ positive case comes amid a slew of postponements in the NBA, which opened its 2020-2021 season last month amid a resurgent COVID-19 crisis in the United States.