Karl-Anthony Towns was ‘spooked’ by Charlotte’s COVID situation, which is the unfortunate reality of NBA life

The Timberwolves were out on the court, warming up when they caught wind of the Hornets’ situation ahead of Friday’s game.

Charlotte was without three players due to COVID-19 concerns. Hornets’ players were told to stay away from the arena during the day as the team and league sorted through the situation.

And now the Timberwolves were supposed to go play against the guys who were cleared to play? That didn’t sit right with Karl-Anthony Towns, who’s lost family members — including his mother — to the virus and just went through his own bout with it.

“I was triggered by it and, I don’t know, it just brought up so many things I’ve been through and it affected me in such a way where basketball wasn’t important anymore,” Towns said. “I remember going up to (Timberwolves head coach Ryan Saunders) and asking, ‘Are you sure we should play this? These guys had some COVID positives and we’re playing with guys who were around these people.’”

Of course, the answer often throughout pro sports has been “play on.” The NBA is no different. Games have been postponed — including a Timberwolves’ game after Towns and Juancho Hernangomez tested positive last month. But largely, the games continue on.

The thought of not playing crossed Towns’ mind. He admitted he was “spooked” by the entire situation, even though his body has developed antibodies that should still be effective against the virus. Towns has been adamant about setting a good example for others, continuing to administer best practices and wearing a mask at all times when he’s not on the floor.

He didn’t want to put his teammates at risk, or even the officials. He told them pregame that if they were going to call fouls, to do so from a distance, and maintain space between players even during disputes. He prayed for Charlotte’s players and staff and checked in on them to see how they were doing and if he could provide any insight. Towns takes his duties as the Wolves’ Players Association rep seriously, and tried to think of all involved and their families.

“These guys in this locker room, they keep me going, and the last thing I want to do is leave them out there,” Towns said. “We understand things are going to keep going regardless of how I feel, so I’ve got to do my best to think for these guys, even if it’s something I’m tremendously uncomfortable doing.”

It’s one of the many sacrifices Towns noted players are making this season “for the enjoyment of the fans.”

“We put our lives, we put our health on the line, especially with something like this going on. We put our time with our time with our family on the line, as well, because if we get this we can’t interact with them or be with be with them,” Towns said. “This game, it brings a lot of enjoyment and peace and comfort to a lot of people, and we’re doing it by even putting our health on the line. I give a lot of salute to these guys, every single NBA player who says they’re going to do what they need to do for their families, and even the fans.”

The hope, Towns noted, is that everyone is following health and safety protocols to the best of their abilities, but the reality is you don’t know.

“Even if they do, this virus, this disease doesn’t have a place where it doesn’t work, where it doesn’t affect anybody. You could get it anywhere, anytime. You just hope,” he said. “It is kind of a scary situation every single time you step on that court because you don’t know. I’ve already had that situation happen to me, so I just tried my best to keep these guys safe and to think for them, as well.”

In general, Towns was excited to return to action this week — to compete with his teammates and get a brief reprieve from life going on around him. But there is no escape from this pandemic. As Towns noted, it can penetrate any space at any point.

“Today is not one of those days where I’m excited to come in here and talk to you guys about not only a loss but something that we could’ve lost more than just a game today,” he said. “I think it’s not that I’m not excited, I’m worried. That’s more the word you’re seeing right now. I’m just worried. It’s not going to stop. The world, especially America, is just getting more and more COVID cases. I’m just worried. My heart goes out to all the people that have gotten COVID, the families that have been affected by it. I just couldn’t stomach seeing one of my guys get it and not being able to do anything.”

Towns said it was clear to everyone with the Wolves how mentally affected he was by Friday’s situation. He looked sluggish through the first 24 minutes. He called his father, Karl Sr., at halftime, which helped calm him down.

“I was glad that I was able to go back out there with a different mindset. But the first half, that really bothered me and it led to me not playing at all well and it just zapped me a lot,” Towns said. “It zapped my energy, it zapped my mentality, it zapped my soul a little bit. I gotta be better. We got another game in Tampa (on Sunday against the Raptors). Just hopefully we don’t have the same situation.”