COVID-19 Inflicts Another Casualty On Sports Fraternity As NBA Star's Mother Passes Away Due To Coronavirus

"The Towns family is heartbroken by the untimely passing of Jacqueline Towns due complications as a result of COVID-19," the statement said.

Minneapolis, MN May 16: Karl-Anthony Towns poses for a portrait with his family (Mother, Father, sister and Kids) by Timberwolves team Photographer David Sherman before the announcement of his NBA Rookie of the Year Award. (Photo by Brian Peterson/Star Tribune via Getty Images)

New Delhi: The deadly COVID-19 virus which has been wrecked havoc all around the world accounting for over  6 lakh lives in over 180-odd nations inflicted yet another casualty and this time the victim belonged to the extended NBA fraternity, which has already seen a couple of players from their franchises contracting the dreaded virus. Jacqueline Towns, the mother of NBA-All Star player Karl-Anthony Towns, passed away on Monday due to health complications on account of contracting the infection from the novel coronavirus, according to a statement from a Towns family spokesperson released by Towns' team, the Minnesota Timberwolves. "The Towns family is heartbroken by the untimely passing of Jacqueline Towns due complications as a result of COVID-19," the statement said.

View this post 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. Thank you to the medical staff who are helping my mom. You are all the true heroes! Praying for all of us at this difficult time.

A post shared by Karl-Anthony Towns (@karltowns) on Mar 24, 2020 at 9:48pm PDT

She had been "battling the virus for more than a month" when she ultimately succumbed to it, according to the statement. Towns made his mother's struggle with Covid-19 public in an emotional video released in late March. In it, he announced that his mother had been put on a ventilator in a medically induced coma. He said he shared the video in the hopes that everyone would stay at home.

pic.twitter.com/vnKwFBNegn

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 13, 2020

Prior to publicly sharing his mother's critical condition, Towns made a USD 100,000 donation to the Mayo Clinic to assist in effort to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

A handful of NBA players sent their condolences on Twitter.

"Wow... I hope everybody is taking this pandemic seriously... Continue to Pray for every family through this tough time, and hold your Loved ones Close," Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young tweeted on Monday.

Wow... I hope everybody is taking this pandemic seriously... Continue to Pray for every family through this tough time, and hold your Loved ones Close????????❤️

— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) April 13, 2020