Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordyn Woods’ relationship has followed a visible path—from meeting through mutual friends and choosing to date during COVID, to cheering each other through seasons, supporting businesses, and ending with a Christmas Eve proposal that fe
When the Knicks need a steady presence, Jordyn Woods has been there at Madison Square Gardens—again. She has yet to miss a game during the 2026 playoffs. arriving at the arena on May 13. 2026. to watch Karl-Anthony Towns do what he does best. It’s the kind of devotion fans can spot in the stands. and it’s become part of the story of how their relationship has grown.
For five years. Woods has been Towns’s girlfriend. cheering him on as he and the team look to make it to the NBA Finals for the first time in decades. Towns has described his feelings for Woods in direct terms: “My love for her knows no bounds.” Woods. for her part. has said the relationship isn’t limited to the bright moments. “We know each other. We know each other’s hearts. We know each other on good days and bad days and we’ve been through a lot of bad days together.”.
Their timeline begins quietly, years before anyone could easily point to a specific start date. Sometime before 2020, Towns and Woods met through mutual friends “years” before they started dating. They have never publicly specified when they met or who introduced them.
In 2021, Towns looked back on those early days with a kind of calm that matches the way the relationship unfolded. “Me and Jordyn met years ago knowing common people and just became friends. And ever since then, our relationship grew where we became more than friends. I’m not saying in that way, but just best friends. And then we started having a deeper relationship.” He added that COVID changed the pace: “It just so happened. the COVID came and kind of brought its challenges and it kind of forced us to either pick where our relationship was going to go as friends or something more. And we chose the latter.”.
Then the start of dating came with grief close behind it. May 2020 was not just when they began dating—it was also the period Towns lost his mother, Jacqueline, to complications from COVID-19. She was 59. Woods’s family also carried its own loss: her father, John Woods, died of cancer in 2017.
Woods later connected those shared experiences to why the relationship deepened. After they went public with their relationship. she explained. “They connected about losing a parent at a very young age. ” and called what followed “a very organic relationship that we’d been best friends for a while.” Towns said the timing of turning a friendship into romance felt guided by his mother’s absence. “A woman that meant so much to me in my life
left my life to be replaced by another woman who took that spot. ” he said of starting to date right after his mother’s death. “I feel, in a way, when my mom passed, she’s like, ‘I’m not going to leave you alone. I’m going to make sure you know who you are supposed to be with.’” He added. “I leaned on her because she’s one of those only people who actually knew how I
was feeling and what I was going through.”.
By September 2020, they were Instagram official—photos from a vacation, with Towns writing, “There are darknesses in life and there are lights, and you are one of the lights, the light of all lights,” while Woods posted, “I found you, then I found me,” alongside a white heart emoji.
In January 2021, Towns publicly acknowledged Woods’s support in a way that spelled out how serious the relationship had become. On his Instagram story, he wrote: “My woman has held me down more than the world knows. 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 this Off-Season 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 stayed ten toes down.” He continued: “My love for her knows no bounds and I would be remiss if I don’t acknowledge the power a good woman can have in your life. Men, treat your woman like a Queen so she can treat you like a King.”.
The public celebrations followed. In October 2021, they matched as a couple for Halloween: Woods dressed as Little Red Riding Hood and Towns went as a werewolf.
By May 2022, their visibility stretched into politics and civic space. Woods posted a series of pictures from a visit to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue on Instagram. writing. “My other half does countless things for social justice and has done a lot in his community especially where he plays basketball (Minnesota). where the George Floyd incident took place.” She added. “This is just the start of different initiatives we are working on behind the scenes to help make this world a better place for our peers and for our youth.”.
That same year, they began stepping into shared fashion moments. In June 2022, Woods and Towns made their Paris Fashion Week debut together, attending the Acne studios rue Saint-Honoré store opening. They also attended the Dior Homme Menswear Spring Summer 2023 show during Paris Fashion Week. traveling to Paris for various fashion events. including the Dior menswear show. Towns has previously tied style to confidence. saying: “Be authentic. and you’ll look good in anything regardless of cost.” He added. “Wear the clothes. but don’t let the clothes wear you—wear them with confidence. Anything worn with confidence will have its own vibe.”.
September 2022 brought an extra layer—business and ambition. For Woods’s birthday, Towns promised to fund her businesses. Woods shared on her Instagram story that he wrote her a letter and that “this is the last step.” The letter itself began: “To My Birthday Girl. Happy 25th Birthday!. After this. you get to say you 18 every year like your moms lol … I know every year I have showered you with material gifts that people wish they could to (King S—) but this year. your 25th year walking this earth. it’s time to go from that girl to a full woman. You pick two businesses you want to start, and I will fund them. It’s time to take that next step in this thing we call life. Te Amo Mucho, let’s take over the world…together. Love, KAT.”.
In November—during Towns’s 27th birthday—Woods shared a tribute. “I’m so blessed that our friendship blossomed into the relationship we have today. Being on this journey we call life has been nothing sort of amazing. Your heart is what I fell in love with and your enthusiasm is what keeps me going.”
By November 2023, Woods described their partnership in terms of how it survived time. She told People. “We were really good friends before we started dating. and COVID gave us that free time to really get to know each other.” She said. “We’ve been through a lot together. We’ve seen each other at all different ways. times. phases. so I think we have a very strong foundation.” She added that they love gift giving and described “the love language is quality time.” She continued: “Every holiday. we like to really go large for each other…He does so much for me. I do what I can for him. I want to say it’s a lot. So when it’s time to show that appreciation, we like to go all out.”.
In February 2024, Towns laughed about the way Woods has learned the game alongside him. “We watch game film with each other. we watch lots of basketball with each other. and we’re dissecting the game. She’s becoming more of a basketball savant,” he told People. Towns added, “She is truly special to me. You know. with my mom and my sister. I’ve seen the impact that good women have on men’s lives. and I’m just blessed that I saw that firsthand before I got with Jordyn so that I could learn to appreciate her.” Woods has remained a constant presence at Towns’s basketball games throughout their relationship.
In May 2024, they were reportedly purchasing a Los Angeles home together. TMZ reported the couple purchased a $14 million, 7-bedroom home on more than 2 acres of land.
By May 2025, the playoffs brought their own rituals. During the Knicks playoff run. Woods posted about feeling superstitious. writing. “Going into the playoffs. everything has been a superstitious routine for me!. My game day rituals became filming GRWMs and I just felt the need to keep them going. I know my page turned into a Knicks/KAT fan page but we’re still here!!. Feeling so blessed to witness the amazing things happening in the city… what game day fits do you guys wanna see next?” She also wore custom heels with his number to the games.
And then came the moment that turned fandom into forever. On December 25, 2025, Towns proposed. Woods told T&C of the proposal. “I had no clue he was going to [propose] but I did start getting slightly superstitious the night before when he was asking me about when I was getting my hair done. ” adding. “As a woman. our intuition is unlike anything else.” She said the proposal felt timed by circumstance: “The craziest part of this whole story is that he was actually going to propose a different time but due to his schedule the only free day that lined up was Christmas Eve. My parents also got engaged on Christmas Eve, so it truly felt like a full circle moment.”.
Woods said she wasn’t involved in picking out the ring at all. telling friends. “I’m confident he knows what I like. Karl has great taste.” She added, “I was absolutely correct. I’m still blown away every time I look at [the ring]. It feels like an extension of me but I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to how stunning this diamond is.”.
Now. as the Knicks continue their push in 2026. Woods is back in the same place she’s been for years—showing up. She is seen arriving at Madison Square Gardens on May 13. 2026. and she has yet to miss a game during the 2026 playoffs. matching Towns’s on-court grind with a devotion that has outlasted the tough chapters as much as the celebratory ones.
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