The Heartfelt Journey of Karl-Anthony Towns: From Tragedy to Triumph
The Knicks’ dreams of becoming NBA champions are in reach for the first time in 27 years and the whole of New York is abuzz over it.On court they have steamrollered the competition to face the San Antonio Spurs in the finals, thanks to one of the strongest teams in recent history.For star player Karl Anthony Towns, 30, it marks a dramatic turnaround in his life over the last six years, not just in the game, but his personal life too.The Knicks dreams of becoming NBA champions are in reach for the first time in 27 years. Helping them lead the charge is Karl-Anthony Towns, 30, as he competes in the finals for the first time in his career. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectIn 2020 Towns felt like his world had fallen apart. A year earlier, his car was rear-ended by a semi-truck, leaving him in the hospital with what he called a “5% chance of making it out alive.” The next April he suddenly lost his mother due to complications related to COVID-19, at just 58 years old. To cap it all off, the same summer he was hospitalized after being hit by a drunk driver in Los Angeles.Each time the Edison, New Jersey-born center-forward was comforted through the physical pain and mental anguish by now-fiancée Jordyn Woods, 28; the Los Angeles model and influencer he’d first been introduced to three years earlier.As the pandemic continued and the world ground to a halt, the pair were both mourning: Towns for mother, Jacqueline Cruz, and Woods for her father, the late sound engineer John Woods. He passed away suddenly in 2017 just weeks after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer at age 61. “He lost his mom, she lost her dad. That strengthened the bond for sure,” the source close to the couple said of finding comfort in their shared loss.Fiance Jordyn Woods, 28, has been a pillar of support for Towns since their friendship turned romantic in 2020, after his mother died. Jordyn Woods/ InstagramThe pair first got together romantically in May 2020, while Towns was playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves, his home for the first nine seasons of his career before joining the Knicks in October 2024. “I found you, then I found me,” she wrote in a post, confirming their relationship in September 2020, underneath a picture of her embracing the basketball star, both of them wearing Versace bathing suits.“The right person will bring a lot out of you,” Woods told Extra that same month. “Naturally, we both connected about losing a parent at a very young age … so it was a very organic relationship.” “She’s shining. She’s super excited, and nervous at the same time because it’s a lot in terms of putting everything together,” a source close to the couple told Page Six, of both the finals and being in the final stages of preparing their wedding. Getty ImagesAfter Towns traded to the Knicks in 2024, he and Woods took their relationship to the next level and both moved to the Big Apple full time. jordynwoods/InstagramSince then, Woods has been a fixture courtside and a strong and steadying presence in seven-foot tall Towns’ life. She and NYC’s basketball fans have been cheering the team — who’s current regular starting line-up also includes Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and OG Anunoby — to the NBA finals for the first time since 1999.“She’s shining. She’s super excited, and nervous at the same time because it’s a lot in terms of putting everything together,” the source close to the couple told Page Six, of both the finals and being in the final stages of preparing their wedding. The proposal came after the Knicks made a remarkable 126-124 Christmas Day 2025 win over the Cavaliers at MSG. Towns traded his No. 32 jersey for a tuxedo and got down on one knee, presenting Woods, wearing all white, an elongated emerald-cut diamond ring estimated to be more than 10-carats in a private corner of the rooftop Overstory bar in the Financial District, overlooking the city.KAT has faced his share of adversity before joining the Knicks in 2024. In 2019, his car was rear-ended by a semi-truck, leaving him in the hospital with what he called a “5% chance of making it out alive.” AP Photo/Sue OgrockiShe announced the news on her Instagram page with the caption: “Marry Christmas.”Through the regular season, Woods has cemented herself as a fashion fixture courtside —supporting her MVP in custom designs bedazzled with “Towns” and also giving her 1.7 million TikTok fans a first look at her fashion in Get Ready With Me videos. Woods herself is not unfamiliar with the spotlight. She grew up in Oak Park, California, where her father worked on TV show “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.” Through that, her family was friendly with mega-celebs Will, Jada-Pinkett, Jaden and Willow Smith.Through the regular season, Woods has cemented herself as a fashion fixture courtside —supporting her MVP in custom designs bedazzled with “Towns” and also giving her 1.7 million TikTok fans a first look at her fashion in Get Ready With Me videos. jordynwoods/InstagramJaden then introduced Woods to Kylie Jenner the summer before entering high school and they became close pals. As a result, Woods was a frequent fixture on the “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” reality show, and her pal’s later spinoff, “Life of Kylie.”However, in 2019 things rapidly frosted between Woods and Jenner pals over another basketball player. Woods admitted she’d had an intimate encounter with notorious NBA love cheat Tristan Thompson, who is baby daddy to two children with Khloe Kardashian, Kylie’s older half-sister.Following that revelation, Woods was dramatically cast out of the Kar-Jenner inner circle. Her experience with that drama and being on two major TV shows — and all the public criticism which came with it — meant she quickly had to grow a thick skin, the source close to the couple told Page Six.Before getting engaged last Christmas, KAT played in the remarkable 126-124 Christmas Day Knicks win over the Cavaliers at MSG. Getty Images“[The NBA finals] is nothing compared to being around the Kardashians, literally nothing!” the source quipped.Towns has also been on the receiving end of much criticism through his time in the NBA, and the current run of excitement around the Knicks is certainly welcome.“You have to adapt to the culture of the city New York. You’ve seen the transition. The first year [Towns] played, all the write ups were, ‘He’s too soft to play in New York.’ He adapted to it. All this attention right now on the positive side is very new for him,” said the source. “He’s normally on the other side of the conversation. The Knicks — they never get this far.Towns proposed to Woods on Christmas, 2025 at Overstory bar in the Financial District. Jordyn Woods/InstagramWoods announced the news on her Instagram page with the caption: “Marry Christmas.” Jordyn Woods/Instagram“When you’re the star or a big man, that pressure goes on you. For him being [praised so highly] is new.” Indeed, Towns had the X-factor when the Knicks fell behind by 14 points in the third quarter of Game One last Thursday, his powerhouse defense fueling a 105-95 comeback victory over the Spurs.After, he said he felt a higher power over him – the presence of his late mother. “I don’t know what it was, but I just felt a clam and a peace that had to be come from the woman above,” he told Shaquille O’Neal on ESPN’s “Inside the NBA” postgame show. The Los Angeles native and influencer has gained a WAGs fan following for her “GRWM” (Get ready with me) pre-game TikToks. jordynwoods/Instagram“I felt good. I felt like a kid.” Towns paid tribute to Woods in Jan. 2021 for standing by his side and helping him through his car accidents and family losses.“My woman has held me down more than the world knows,” he wrote on Instagram Stories. “From my mother and family members dying (1 on her bday in Cabo), getting hit by a drunk driver (was 2pm in the afternoon FYI) in LA and staying with me in the hospital for the night and helping me in rehab, to this stint with COVID she has been there with me every step of the way and stay, ten toes down.”The athlete added: “My love for her knows no bounds and I would be remiss if I don’t acknowledge the power of a good woman can have in your life. Men, treat your woman like a Queen so she can treat you like a King.”Things frosted between Woods and Kylie Jenner in 2019 over another basketball player. Getty ImagesWoods has also gone the distance literally to make her relationship with Towns work. While he was still with the Timberwolves she would jet between Hollywood and Minnesota so they could spend time together.After he was traded to the Knicks in 2024, they took their relationship to the next level and both moved to the Big Apple full time.She also traded her signature Minnesota merch for custom “KAT” jackets, which quickly became a fixture at the Knicks home stadium, Madison Square Garden.However, there came potential for drama on the Knicks’ famed Celebrity Row. The territory had already been staked out by ex-pal Jenner, after she started dating Knicks die-hard fan Timothee Chalamet in 2023 and they began attending games.“They might have got cool again,” the source close to Woods and Towns told Page Six of her relationship with Jenner, who is dating Knicks superfan Timothee Chalamet. Jordyn Woods/ InstagramAlthough nothing has been said publicly about rekindling their relationship, they have posed for pics together on numerous occasions, leading the public to conclude they have buried the hatchet.“They might have got cool again,” the source close to Woods and Towns told Page Six.Whether Jenner and Chalamet will attend the wedding is a different matter, but those close to Woods and Towns say it doesn’t matter — they have each other and that’s all that counts. “She found her person, and they couldn’t be happier,” the insider said.
