Karl-Anthony Towns shares emotional moment with his father on Mother’s Day

Karl-Anthony Towns and his father had an emotional moment courtside on Mother’s Day a year after the Timberwolves center lost his mom to COVID-19.

For the second time, Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns had to mark Mother’s Day without his mother, Jacqueline, who died last year due to complications from COVID-19.

Despite the emotional challenge, Towns suited up for Minnesota’s game against the Orlando Magic.

There’s no question it hit Towns hard as he embraced his father before tip-off.

Towns acknowledged the day on Instagram with a series of photos featuring his mother.

He told the Pioneer Press that having his father around for this time was important.

“[Mother’s Day] always brought a smile to my face. It’s gonna be different for me. But there’s a lot of memories to cherish on Sunday, and I’m glad I got the basketball so I can have something that can take my mind off of it, you know what I’m trying to say,” Towns said. “I’m very fortunate that my father is with me. It’s something that I think that both of us understand the pain.”

Karl-Anthony Towns had an emotional Mother’s Day

Towns and his family experienced unbelievable tragedy as the coronavirus pandemic swept the nation. In addition to his mother, Towns had six other family members die from COVID-19 and its complications.

Taking the court in light of that tragedy had to be hard for the player, but he delivered for his team. As the Timberwolves stormed past the Magic, Towns led all scorers with 27 points along with teammate D’Angelo Russell.

Towns also had 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal in 29 minutes.

The season is almost complete for Towns and the Timberwolves. Since they were eliminated from the postseason, the only thing left to play for is pride. Minnesota is 21-47 with four games to play.

Towns has dealt with injury issues this year. He missed 20 of the first 24 games of the campaign with a wrist problem, plus health and safety protocols. When available, he’s produced at his normal clip. He’s averaged 24.8 points, 10.6 rebounds. 4.6 assists and 1.2 blocks per game on the season.