Karl-Anthony Towns explains how he's forever changed following mother's death

The Minnesota Timberwolves opened their season with a 111-101 win over the Detroit Pistons. Karl-Anthony Towns opened up about his emotions following the victory, reflecting on how much has changed since the last time he played in an NBA game.

The Timberwolves were one of the teams not invited to the Orlando bubble, as they were out of the playoff picture, making last night Minnesota's first game since March. Towns lost several family members to COVID during the pandemic, including his mother, who died in April. The former No. 1 pick said he was proud of the win and what it would have meant to his mom.

"It meant a lot," Towns said of the win. "Selfishly, it meant a lot. I'm just happy I got this for her. I told her I wanted to get her this win and get her this ball, so I'm just happy to be able to get it done."

Towns has been open about how he has been emotionally devastated by what he has gone through this year. When he was asked about the growth and change he has experienced over the last nine months, Towns said he almost feels like an entirely different person than he was before.

"I only know what happened from April 13 on," he said. "Because you may see me smiling and stuff, but that Karl died on April 13. He's never coming back. I don't remember that man. I don't know that man. You're talking to the physical me, but my soul has been killed off a long time ago."