Karl-Anthony Towns scored 18 points with 12 rebounds as the New York Knicks rallied to beat the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, and afterward said his late mother’s presence brought him calm and comfort.
When the New York Knicks stepped into Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the spotlight quickly landed on Karl-Anthony Towns. The night had already carried tension—Jalen Brunson led New York to a comeback win over the Spurs after early injury scares—but Towns delivered a performance that made the stakes feel immediate.
Towns finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds on Wednesday night. After the game, he described a feeling that went beyond basketball. In an interview on ESPN’s “Inside the NBA” studio show, Kenny Smith asked him what it felt like to play in his first NBA Finals.
“I don’t know what it was. but I just felt a calm and a peace that had to be coming from the woman above. ” Towns said. “I felt really confident about today, I felt good. I felt like a kid. It was just fun out here. This is something that as a kid, you always dream about. You always just hope to be an NBA player, let alone to be in the NBA Finals. All day, it was just a weird feeling. It felt like I was a kid getting ready to go play in my Saturday AAU games.”.
He added that the emotion came with a specific image. “And in a way, I felt like I was seeing her in the stands. It was fun. And it was really comforting because Game 1 of the NBA Finals. you’re told how the pressure’s gonna be and everything is. I don’t know. It felt like a certain presence was here that was very comforting and very loving.”.
The mother behind those words was Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, known as Jackie. She died in April 2020 at age 59, with complications from COVID-19. Towns has spoken often about his grief since then, and the way he described her on Wednesday night reflected that closeness.
Shortly after her death, he posted an emotional YouTube video about his mother’s monthlong battle with the virus. In that account, he said she had been placed on a ventilator and in a medically induced coma.
Towns also described his bond with Cruz-Towns as one of his core supports throughout his basketball career, calling her his biggest supporter. Beyond the personal loss, he has continued to speak openly about grief in the years since and has become an advocate for mental health.
On a night when the Knicks had to climb back and keep their footing in an NBA Finals opener, Towns’ words made the comeback feel more personal than the box score alone. Game 1 was about basketball momentum—but to Towns, it also carried the presence of someone he still feels close enough to see.
Karl-Anthony Towns Knicks Spurs NBA Finals Game 1 Jalen Brunson Jacqueline Cruz-Towns Jackie COVID-19 mental health advocacy
Damn that’s actually really sweet. Also Knicks winning Game 1?? good for them.
I saw the headline and thought he like got COVID or something. But it’s his mom so yeah… still wild how pressure hits, glad he balled out.
Wait reply to what exactly? Like Kenny Smith asked him on Inside the NBA, right? I kinda zoned out but the part about seeing her in the stands made me cry for real. COVID did so much damage, it’s sad.
18 and 12 is cool but I’m just here like… imagine the refs giving you pressure too then your mom’s like spiritually in the stands lmao. Not saying it’s fake or anything, but I feel like players always say a “calm presence” when they do good.