The Minnesota Timberwolves’ All-Star center, Karl-Anthony Towns, is expected to return to action on Monday less than a week after a car crash he said should have killed him.
The 23-year-old and a member of the Timberwolves’ training staff were rear-ended by a truck in the Minneapolis area last Thursday. Towns entered the concussion protocol after the crash but is set to return for Minnesota’s game against the Sacramento Kings on Monday night.
KAT says he physically couldn’t call his parents after the crash. He knew it would be too emotional. He texted them and called his sister. She thought he was joking and asked if we was going to play against the Knicks. #MNTimberwolves #AllEyesNorth @FOX9 @Fox9Sports pic.twitter.com/hviTh2wUO8
— Jeff Wald (@JeffWaldFox9) February 25, 2019
Towns’s car had come to a stop for another accident when it was hit by the truck, which was estimated to be traveling at up to 45mph. “The accident could have went – I’d say I had a 5% chance of making it out alive,” Towns told reporters on Monday. “I hit the 5% mark. I’d say 4% was to be seriously injured, and 1% was to be minorly injured – and I came out in the 1%.” He added that he initially couldn’t call his parents for fear of upsetting them.
The accident ended Towns’s streak of 303 straight starts, the most among active NBA players. “[The accident] could have been much worse,” he said. “In all honesty, I probably should not have made it out like I did.”
Minnesota are four games outside the playoffs in the Western Conference. Towns is averaging 23.1 points and 12.0 rebounds per game this season, and was named to his second straight All-Star game.
