Karl-Anthony Towns 'Leaned on' Girlfriend Jordyn Woods After Mom's Death, Bonded Over Loss of Parents
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The past year has been difficult for Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns, but he says a bright spot in his life has been his girlfriend, Jordyn Woods.
PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at an upcoming episode of Facebook Watch's talk show, Peace of Mind with Taraji, in which Towns opens up to hosts Taraji P. Henson and Tracie Jade about dating Woods, 24, after the death of his mother, Jacqueline Towns, to COVID-19 in April 2020.
"A woman that meant so much to me in my life left my life to be replaced by another woman who took that spot," Towns says of Woods.
Towns, who has since recovered from his own bout with COVID, says he believes his mother played a part in making sure he and Woods got together.
"You know it's crazy because we were best friends," Towns says. "I feel, in a way, when my mom passed, she's like, 'I'm not going to leave you alone. I'm going to make sure you know who you are supposed to be with.' "
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Jordyn Woods/instagram Jordyn Woods and Karl-Anthony Towns
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When Henson asks how Woods, 24, helped him through the death of his mother, Towns says his girlfriend could relate to the grief of losing a parent.
"You know she lost her father four years ago I believe," the NBA star shares. "So I leaned on her because she's one of those only people who actually knew how I was feeling and what I was going through."
Woods' father, John Woods, died in 2017 after being diagnosed with cancer.
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"She was super close to her father just how I was super close to my mother," Towns adds of Woods. "And [they] were like the focals of our lives."
Towns and Woods celebrated their one-year anniversary in May.
The athlete, who also lost other loved ones to COVID complications, appears on the episode to talk about how the recent deaths affected his mental health.
Towns' appearance on Peace of Mind with Taraji airs Oct. 18 at 12 p.m. ET on Facebook Watch.
