Karl-Anthony Towns and Jackie Towns.Photo: Brian Peterson/Star Tribune/Getty
Karl-Anthony Townshas received his first jab.
The NBA player, 25, shared a photo of himself getting theCOVID-19vaccine on Instagram Tuesday.
“Shot 1 ✅,” hecaptioned the photo, which shows him giving the camera a thumbs-up while a medical provider administers his shot.
The Minnesota Timberwolves player’s first dose of vaccine comes just days before the one-year anniversary of his mother’s death from the deadly virus.
Jacqueline Towns died on April 13, 2020, after a weeks-long battle with COVID-19, thefamily said in a statement last spring.
“The matriarch of the Towns family, she was an incredible source of strength; a fiery, caring, and extremely loving person, who touched everyone she met,” the statement continued. “Her passion was palpable and her energy will never be replaced.”
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The athlete shared in December that he haslost seven family members, including his mom, to COVID-19 throughout the course of the pandemic.
“I’ve seen a lot of coffins in the last seven-eight months,” he told reporters at the time. “I have a lot of people who have, in my family and my mom’s family, gotten COVID. 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.”
Among his family members to contract the virus are his father, Karl-Anthony Towns Sr., who recovered. Karl-Anthony himselftested positive for COVID-19in January of this year.
Last week, Karl-Anthony and the Timberwolves played the Brooklyn Nets in New York. As COVID-19 restrictions begin to loosen, several of the player’s family members were able to cheer him on — including his dad.
“First time being in Brooklyn since 2019.. Really emotional to see my family at a game for the first time in a long time,” Karl-Anthonyshared on Instagramafter the game. “It’s always nice being back home and to play at the Barclays Center. I know my mom would’ve loved to be here 🕊🙏🏾.”
He added to reporters after the game — which the Timberwolves ended up losing 112-107 — thathis dad’s presence meant “everything” to him.
“He understood how upset I was after the loss,” he said of his father, perESPN. “But he came to me, and he told me something I don’t know if he should’ve told me. It got me a little emotional. He told me my mom would’ve been proud with how I played tonight.”
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source: people.com
