The NBA community quickly expressed sympathy to Karl-Anthony Towns on Monday, after learning that the Timberwolves star's mother lost her lengthy battle with COVID-19.
Jacqueline Cruz-Towns was 59. On March 24, Towns posted a video online saying both her parents had contracted the disease that has caused a worldwide pandemic, and that his mother was on a ventilator and in a medically induced coma.
Messages of condolences came pouring in on social media:
Zach LaVine
His friendship with Towns predates Towns' arrival with the Wolves, but they only played 1½ seasons together here.
Tyus Jones
The Wolves' second first-round pick in 2015 after Towns, Jones left his hometown team last year to play for Memphis.
Robert Covington
The forward, traded from the Wolves to Houston in February, posted at great length about his memories of Cruz-Towns.
Jarrett Culver
The Wolves' 2019 first-round pick out of Texas Tech is averaging 9.2 points per game.
Jake Layman
One of the few Wolves besides Towns and Culver to have been on the roster all season, although he missed much of it because of injury.
Jarred Vanderbilt
The 21-year-old has only played in two games for the Wolves since being traded from Denver; like Towns, he is a Kentucky product.
Gorgui Dieng
The longtime Wolves big man from Senegal was dealt to Memphis in Februray.
Jamal Crawford
No longer on an NBA roster at age 40, Crawford spent 2017-18 with the Wolves.
Shabazz Muhammad
Played five seasons with the Wolves and now is playing in China.
Kevin Love
The Wolves' previous All-Star before Towns, Love was dealt to Cleveland less than a year before Towns' arrival.
Thad Young
One of the players acquired by the Wolves for Love, Young also did not play with Towns.
Stephen Curry
The two-time NBA MVP has missed most of this season because of an injury suffered in October.
Julius Randle
Kentucky's freshman standout in 2013-14, one year before Towns, he was the seventh pick in the 2014 draft.
John Wall
Another Kentucky product, the longtime Wizards star has missed the entire season because of an Achilles' injury.
Donovan Mitchell
The Jazz star has recovered after being one of the first professional athletes to test positive for COVID-19.
Chris Paul
The veteran point guard spending his 15th NBA season with the Thunder, his fourth NBA team.
John Calipari
Towns' college coach said he got a call from Towns and was devastated to learn the news.
