'I Will Not End Up In A Box': Karl Towns Contracts Coronavirus

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The Minnesota Timberwolves' Friday night game against the Memphis Grizzlies has been postponed after Karl-Anthony Towns tested positive for the coronavirus.

The pandemic has already brought unfathomable personal tragedy to the All-Star player. Towns has lost seven family members to COVID-19, including his mother, who was the first among them to die.

"Prior to tonight's game, I received yet another awful call that I tested positive for COVID," Towns wrote in a statement posted on Twitter.

"I will immediately isolate and follow every protocol. I pray every day that this nightmare of a virus will subside and I beg everyone to continue to take it seriously by taking all the necessary precautions."

"It breaks my heart that my family, and particularly my father and sister continue to suffer from the anxiety that comes along with this diagnosis as we know all too well what the end result could be," Towns continued.

"To my niece and nephew," Towns said, "I promise you I will not end up in a box next to grandma and I will beat this."

In November, Towns told ESPN reporter Malika Andrews that he "hasn’t been in a good place" since his mother's diagnosis.

In March, Towns donated $100,000 to the Mayo Clinic and their battle against COVID-19.