Los Angeles-bred socialite Jordyn Woods had fans of her boyfriend, New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, concerned.
Woods, 27, and Towns, 29, began dating in 2020. They made their relationship Instagram official with a September 26, 2020-dated photo carousel taken on a beach.
On March 4 at 10 pm, Woods took to the X social media platform to rebuke a deadly disease by posting, “F— Cancer.”
That post alarmed NBA watchers who noticed Towns did not play in the Knicks game against the Golden State Warriors Tuesday night.
Towns missed New York’s 114-105 loss to Golden State due to unspecified personal reasons. The five-time NBA All-Star’s absence ignited speculation about his health status.
While Woods initially did not specify the reasoning for her ‘f— cancer’ tweet, other X users reacted to the statement with overwhelmingly positive feedback.
“Praying for you guys,” one Knicks stan account responded, while another shared, “Prayers for you, KAT and the entire family.”
Countless people simply used prayer hands and heart emojis in the X replies. Even “Night at the Museum” actor and diehard Knicks fan Ben Stiller who typed “agree” under Woods’ public curse on cancer.
The Emmy Award winner also added three blue and three orange hearts, the two colors associated with the Knicks.
Many were unclear if Woods was referring to herself or her boyfriend in her post. It turns out she did not intend to suggest Towns was dealing with a cancer diagnosis. The ex-fashion model returned to X on March 6 to explain her previous worrying message.
“Thank you for all of your prayers and concern. I had to bury one of the closest people to me yesterday after she lost her battle to breast cancer. Life isn’t always fair. She will be missed tremendously,” Woods wrote.
Her update also generated online support. For instance, one person voiced, “So sorry for your loss.” Yet another sympathetic tweet read, “My condolences.”
“I am sorry for your loss. I had to bury one of my closest family members this past weekend as well. It’s a hard thing we all go through. One comforting thing is they are our angels now, watching over our every step,” a mourning X user revealed.
Previously, Woods discussed bonding with Towns over both 20-somethings losing a parent. The influencer lost her father, John Woods, in 2017 from cancer.
Three years later, Towns’ mother, Jacqueline Towns, passed away from complications related to COVID-19. Woods said, ″So, it was a very organic relationship that we’d been best friends for a while.”
While sitting down with Shannon Sharpe for the Super Bowl champion’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast in October 2024, KAT reflected on building his connection to Woods over their respective losses.
“Really, everything changed [during] COVID. It became more of deeper understanding of each other from a friend spot,” Towns conveyed to Sharpe. “She had went through something that I was going through.”
Earlier this week, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau declined to confirm if Towns would join his teammates for their upcoming five-game West Coast road trip.
“I can’t answer that,” Thibodeau said when asked about Towns’ availability, per the New York Post. “I can’t, because I just don’t know, so when he’s ready to come back, obviously we want him back. But he needs some time right now.”
According to the latest reports, Towns will return to the Knicks for the team’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 6 in California’s Crypto.com Arena.
“Karl-Anthony Towns will be available tomorrow vs LAL, per league sources. He is not on injury report after missing Tuesday’s game due to personal reasons,” SNY’s Ian Begley disclosed on March 5.
Towns is averaging 24.5 points per game, currently placing him among the league’s top 15 scorers for the 2024-2025 season.
The 2016 NBA Rookie of the Year is also putting up 13.4 rebounds per game. He is second behind Sacramento Kings player Domantas Sabonis in rebounding this season.
Towns was the first overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft when the Minnesota Timberwolves selected him in the first round following his freshman year at the University of Kentucky.
In October 2024, the Timberwolves traded Towns to the Knicks as part of a three-team deal with the Charlotte Hornets. KAT started his career in NYC by being named an Eastern Conference starter for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game.
