Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns shared an old message from his mother on the first Mother's Day since her death. Jacqueline Cruz landed in a medically induced coma after contracting COVID-19 and died due to complications from the virus in April.
To honor her on Sunday, Towns shared a text exchange with his mother from Christmas on his Instagram story.
Her text to Towns read:
"It seemed like I closed my eyes for just a moment and suddenly a man stood where a boy used to be. I [may] not carry you in my arms anymore but I always carry you in my heart. You are the sweetest present life has ever given me."
Towns' reply read "Merry Christmas," and she responded with a selfie in a holiday shirt.
In the screenshot post, Towns wrote,"Miss you so much."
Towns also shared a video on his Instagram page highlighting some of the major moments on and off the court that his mom was there for. The video, set to Boys II Men's "A Song for Mama," starts with Jacqueline by his side when he announced he would play at the University of Kentucky and goes on to show sweet family moments.
Athletes, including Andrew Wiggins, Paul George and Kyle Rudolph, all commented and wished Towns love and support.
Towns has been open about family's struggles and hardships with the virus in hopes of alerting others as to how serious this pandemic is. After he announced his mother tested positive for the virus in March, he wrote on Instagram, "Sharing my story in the hopes that everyone stays at home! We need more equipment and we need to help those medical personnel on the front lines."
To help with coronavirus testing he donated $100,000 to the Mayo Clinic.
The NBA is still paused while they work out a plan to potentially resume the season. If the season is carried out, games will likely be held without fans for some time.
