NBA | Mental health

Karl-Anthony Towns shares his ongoing journey through grief

At a New York event for World Mental Health Day, the Knicks center reflected on losing his mother and finding support through conversation.

Niki Laudo

Performance engineering

Basketball NBA and College Performance engineering

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns spoke about his continuing experience of grief at a Project Healthy Minds event in New York on October 10, 2026, World Mental Health Day.

The NBA, reporting on the event with information from The Associated Press, said Towns reflected on his mother’s death from COVID-19 complications and on how conversations with strength and wellness coach Arnie Kander helped him process his feelings.

Basketball and a memory of his mother

Towns described feeling calm before the first game of this year’s NBA Finals, and said the moment brought back memories of playing youth basketball while his mother watched. He recalled feeling that the game connected the two of them.

After her death, he said, basketball felt hollow, and he questioned whether he wanted to continue playing. The NBA report noted that Towns later won an NBA title with the Knicks, the team he supported as a child.

Finding support through conversation

Towns credited Kander with giving him someone he could trust and speak openly with. He said those conversations helped him express his feelings and made life feel lighter.

Project Healthy Minds organized the gathering as part of its World Mental Health Day programming. According to the NBA report, the nonprofit operates a free online marketplace for therapy, psychiatry, support groups and other services.

Athletes and mental health

Rich Kleiman, CEO of Boardroom and a Project Healthy Minds board member, told The Associated Press that conversations about mental health have become more common among athletes, while noting that many players may not be comfortable discussing their experiences publicly.

The event also featured speakers from outside basketball. Its wider focus included how athletes can find purpose beyond performance, according to the NBA’s account.

Newsroom

Towns’s remarks centered on grief, the role of trusted support and the personal meaning basketball still holds for him.

Byline

Niki Laudo

Performance engineering

Editorial transparency · How this story was created

This article was prepared by the automated Ranko newsroom using tournament data recorded on Ranko Universe at the time of generation. Subsequent updates or corrections may not yet appear here.

This report summarises the results and standings available when it was prepared.

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