Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns said there were nights after his positive test for COVID-19 when his “vital signs were not good” and that his condition and genetics made his fight with the virus “scary” at times .
Towns, who lost 13 consecutive games, returned to the court on Wednesday for the first time since the positive test in mid-January. He admitted that he was not mentally prepared to play his first game since January 13, but still ended up with 18 points and 10 rebounds in the 119-112 home loss to LA Clippers.
“I’m a high-risk case,” said Towns of his experience with the coronavirus. “COVID didn’t treat me well at all. Many scary nights. One of the things I said to my sister when I won COVID was, ‘Hey, I get it and I don’t have a good version of it. I have a lot of COVID in me, but I’m going fight and beat him. ‘”
Towns added: “During all the long nights when I was not feeling well and the vital signs were not well and decisions had to be made about my health, I kept [my family and my niece and nephew] in mind. They pressured me to keep doing things. When COVID was messing with my body, my mind and spirit, I thought of them and my mother. “
In addition to dealing with the virus, Towns has been suffering since his mother, Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, and six other family members died from complications caused by COVID-19. Towns had previously shared in an emotional video that his mother was on a respirator and in an induced coma. Cruz-Towns died on April 13 at age 58.
In discussing what made his fight with COVID-19 worse, Towns said he had certain underlying illnesses, although he did not go into detail, and also said that, among his parents, he is more “genetically connected” to his mother.
“You hear those stories where people get COVID,” said Towns. “And they’re like, oh, for four days, five days, I didn’t feel well, and then I magically turned the corner one day and I was feeling great. It didn’t happen to me.”
“COVID’s case for each person is totally different; each human being and their underlying conditions are totally different ”, he added. “And my underlying conditions didn’t play in my favor for COVID, but alone one of the scariest parts for all of us in this organization and my immediate family is how genetically connected I am to my mother.
“Nothing was playing in my favor. I knew it was going to be a difficult journey.”
After his mother and other relatives died of COVID-19, Towns said he also felt enormous guilt for his ability to overcome his illness with the resources he had access to which others could not.
“I felt very guilty about the treatment I received,” he said. “And I feel that it should be more widely available to Americans, to anyone in the world. I felt very guilty about receiving something that would help me more to recover, stay healthy, stay alive. There is so much mental tension throughout this time, a sense of guilt for the resources I have, and I wish I could spread those resources to as many people as possible. The guilt, just a bunch of demons I didn’t deal with, that I put on the back burner for basketball. “
Towns, 25, also heard the chorus of NBA players who expressed their views at odds with the league’s decision to host an All-Star game this season amid the pandemic. He agreed with LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, who strongly believes that there shouldn’t be an All-Star Game this year.
“Personally, I don’t believe there should be an All-Star game, but what the hell do I know?” Expressive cities. “Y —, I obviously didn’t deal with COVID, probably a guy who has any idea about that. What should I know about COVID, right?”
Towns said he realized he was not mentally ready to return after joining the Timberwolves on a trip. He added that he was not mentally prepared to play against the Clippers on Wednesday and had had no contact on the court for almost a month. But he wanted to be with his teammates and coaches, to whom he credited support and space during his difficult times.
Minnesota coach Ryan Saunders said Towns’ willingness to speak openly about his pain and experiences had a bigger impact than anything he did on the court.
“It takes a lot of courage in many different ways,” said Saunders. “Many people experience grief and loss. You listen, but until you experience it, you don’t understand that grief is linear. Everyone goes through ups and downs. I think Karl did an unbelievable job of managing any kind of low moments he can have so that he can be a light to other people. “
Towns admitted that there had been many dark moments in the past few weeks, while he was isolated in quarantine. He said he just wants to see the coronavirus eradicated.
“I have seen so many s — in the past year, I think you would say. It’s just what it is, ”said Towns. “I cannot understand all the things that happened in the world, but only with me.
“We will find a solution and make a plan to win this.”
“COVID is a real thing,” added Towns. “It never goes away. It hasn’t diminished at all. It just got smarter.”