Karl-Anthony Towns Praises Fiancée Jordyn Woods for Her Support Through His Mom’s Death During Presser After Knicks' NBA Finals Win

Skyler CarusoMon, June 15, 2026 at 5:49 PM UTC

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Karl-Anthony Towns with his fiancée Jordyn Woods after the New York Knicks won the 2026 NBA Finals.Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Key Takeaways

Karl-Anthony Towns credited fiancée Jordyn Woods for her support after his mother's death in 2020

The couple, engaged since Christmas Eve 2025, built their relationship on a deep friendship before becoming romantic partners

Towns said he felt his late mother's presence during the Knicks' NBA Championship win

Karl-Anthony Towns is giving a shoutout to his biggest cheerleader, fiancée Jordyn Woods.

Following his New York Knicks' championship-clinching win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, June 13, in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Towns, 28, praised his partner, 28, and how she's supported him in the wake of his mom's death in April 2020.

"Her presence is always felt in my life," Towns said when asked about his late mom, Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, who died on April 13, 2020, at the age of 58 from COVID-19 after being hospitalized with the virus for about a month.

Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks celebrates with the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy after winning the 2026 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs on June 13, 2026 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.Credit: Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty

Towns then opened up about how his fiancée has been by his side both personally and professionally. The couple, who announced their engagement on Christmas Day last year, strengthened their bond over the years as their friendship deepened and turned romantic.

"You always pray you're going to pick the right woman for you and I know I did in my fiancée," Towns said of Woods on Saturday after the Knicks' 94-90 triumph. "It's crazy, when she passed, there was so much turmoil in my life. Funny enough, my fiancée was the one, who was a friend at the time, was the only person I got to call before I had to go out there and say bye to her at the hospital."

"Me and her have a real bond that goes deeper than just physical features and everything like that," he continued. "We've got a true friendship that was built from the ground up. I remember just always asking her if this was going to be my last time seeing her in the physical, let me feel her spirit at all times."

Jordyn Woods.Credit: Jordyn Woods/Instagram

"In moments of true pressure and a lot of things going on, I always feel this calming come to me and it's always her," Towns said. "It's just great to always feel her arms around me and always to feel her love in my life, in so many different ways."

The Knicks star added he hadn't "felt love from a woman like that" until he met Woods.

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"It really means a lot that, in a way —without sounding weird—Jackie Jr. was able to be here celebrating this moment with me," Towns said.

"It's amazing," he continued. "It's truly a humbling feeling when you know you have walked the path. I stayed faithful. In every decision that I was supposed to make, I made the right one. Feels good to be at this moment."

Towns has been transparent about his late mom and often pays tribute to her on his social media and during interviews. Earlier in the championship series, the athlete opened up about her presence during Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves hugs his parents, Karl and Jackie Towns after winning the game against the Denver Nuggets of the game on April 11, 2018 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.Credit: Hannah Foslien/Getty

In fact, the Knicks star told ESPN's Inside the NBA that he felt a sense of "calm" and "peace" during the June 3 game, which he suspected might have been from the memory of his mom, Jacqueline.

"I just felt a calm and a peace that had to be coming from the woman above," he told the panel after he helped the Knicks defeat the Spurs, 105-95, to take a 1-0 series lead in the NBA Finals. "I felt like a kid, it was just fun out here."

"It's just something as a kid that you always dream about," he continued. "You always hope to just be an NBA player, let alone be in the NBA Finals. All day it was a weird feeling. It felt like I was a kid getting ready to go play my Saturday AAU games and Sunday AAU games."

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"In a way I felt like I was seeing her in the stands and it was fun," said Towns. "It felt like a certain presence that was here that was very comforting and very loving and I felt like I could have fun out here... which is the weirdest thing because you would expect to have the pressure at the highest."

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”