Karl-Anthony Towns says he feels guilty about receiving COVID-19 treatment after 'scary' battle
It's hard to imagine a single NBA player, or even a professional athlete, has been more affected by the COVID-19 pandemic than Karl-Anthony Towns, from losing his mother and six other family members to experiencing the virus himself over the last month.
The Minnesota Timberwolves star made his return to the court on Wednesday, and once again provided some perspective as the league tries to play through a pandemic. Towns described his case as dangerous, saying his battle grew dire some nights:
Karl-Anthony Towns spent more than 20 minutes after tonight’s #Timberwolves loss talking about his battle with COVID-19. Here’s a snippet:
“I’m a high risk case, Covid did not treat me well whatsoever. A lot of scary nights.” @FOX9 pic.twitter.com/ZhOkDQ4T4K— Jeff Wald (@JeffWaldFox9) February 11, 2021
Towns announced he tested positive for the virus on Jan. 15, and ended up missing 13 games as he dealt with the virus. In his first game back, Towns posted 18 points and 10 rebounds while playing 30 minutes, second-most on his team.
Throughout the pandemic, Towns has been open about the devastation COVID-19 has wrought on his family. He revealed his mother's diagnosis and coma with the intention of spreading awareness of the virus' danger, and said his soul had been killed off in the aftermath of his death.
While some NBA players fail to take the pandemic seriously, Towns went off on people complaining about having to wear a mask:
KAT: "People complain about wearing a mask and these frontline workers are in with people dying and you can't wear one? Stop it."
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) February 11, 2021
Towns also expressed guilt about his own COVID-19 treatment, and how many others don't have access to the kind of medical resources that NBA players enjoy access to:
KAT: "I feel very guilty about the treatment I got [that] I [wish was] more widely available to anyone in the world. I feel very guilty... there is such mental strain through all this time. A feeling of guilt because of the resources I have. I wish I could (share) the resources."
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) February 11, 2021
With all that said, you can probably guess what Towns' thoughts are on playing an All-Star Game, which would entail assembling more than 20 players, mostly from different teams, putting them in close quarters, then sending them home.
He isn't a fan:
Towns: "I don't personally do not believe there should be an All-Star game."
Went on to deadpan: "But what do I know? What experience have I had with COVID?"— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) February 11, 2021
With only five games played this season, Towns obviously isn't going to the All-Star Game, currently scheduled for March in Atlanta. However, several other players currently on track to play in the game — LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden — have publicly stated their disapproval of the idea.
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