Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns shares mental health journey

Timberwolves All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns opened up about mental health in the Black community on Thursday in an appearance on “Good Morning America.”

In the interview, Towns — along with track and field Olympian Anna Cockrell and New York Jets player Solomon Thomas — shared his mental struggles and how he started healing.

During the pandemic, Towns lost several family members to COVID-19, including his mother, in April 2020. Towns said in the interview that his world, for the first time, became “silent.”

“I realized that in this whole process, I’ve never took time to take care of myself,” said Towns. “I got to a point where I had to start realizing I was deteriorating.” 

During the interview, Towns said one misconception of mental health in the Black community is showing vulnerability.

“I think is a generational trait,” Towns said.

Similar to the GMA interview, sitting on a couch, talking openly about mental struggles and how to heal from them, can change the perception of mental health in the Black community, Towns noted.

“Self-care truly is the biggest gift you can give yourself.” Towns said.

According to GMA, statistics show that 1 in 3 Black adults with mental illness get treatment.