Karl-Anthony Towns’ Birthday Turns Emotional After Jordyn Woods’ Big Reveal
Karl-Anthony Towns’ 30th birthday turned into something far bigger than a milestone. The New York Knicks center entered the weekend ready for a celebration, but Jordyn Woods delivered a moment that cut straight to his childhood memories and the bond he shared with his late mother, Jacqueline Towns, per the NY Post. Woods, who has been with Towns for five years, built a surprise that with love, nostalgia, and a level of effort that instantly caught the attention of fans across the internet.
Woods shared that she set the moment in motion months earlier when a summer conversation with Towns took an emotional turn. She asked him which car he would choose if he could drive anything for a day. Towns kept his answer grounded in family rather than luxury. He told her he loved his mother’s old car, the one she drove when he grew up. That childhood memory set Woods on what she called a mission.
“I went on a mission these past months to find the car, shipped it across the country, got it fixed up and was able to surprise him with it today for his 30th,” Woods wrote.
A Gift That Reached Far Beyond the Celebration
Woods revealed that the surprise involved the same make and model of the car Towns’ mother owned. His mother died from COVID-19 in April 2020, and the gesture hit directly at a part of his heart that never left him.
Fans immediately responded. One wrote, “This is something a wife would do. It’s coming. This was so thoughtful.” Olympic gymnast Suni Lee reacted with crying emojis, giving the moment even more visibility. The surprise did not stay private either. Woods posted videos of Towns driving the car, looking overwhelmed by the gesture.
“This sh-t is so fire,” Towns said as he took the wheel. “This is the best thing ever.”
The couple kept the celebration intimate with friends, including Knicks teammates Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges. Woods also coordinated a trading card themed cake from B Cake, a Black owned business in New York, which added another personal touch to the night.
Towns Reflects and Caps the Week With a Huge Performance
Towns made sure to acknowledge the milestone on his own page as well. “Another year of blessings, grateful for it all,” he wrote on Instagram while sharing photos from his birthday weekend.
The celebration came just days after one of Towns’ strongest outings of the season. On November 14, he delivered 39 points and 10 rebounds in a 140 to 132 win over the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden, per SI. The Knicks missed Jalen Brunson that night, but Towns scored from every spot on the floor and powered the team through the fourth quarter. His effort helped New York secure a needed win before the brief break in the schedule.
The Knicks return to action on November 17 for another meeting with the Heat in Miami. New York then faces the Dallas Mavericks on November 19. With Brunson still healing, the Knicks will lean on Towns again while Josh Hart, Landry Shamet, and the rest of the rotation spread out the playmaking load. Towns already carried the group in their last matchup, and his performance gave the Knicks confidence heading into the next stretch.
Woods’ surprise created a moment rooted in memory and love, and Towns embraced every part of it. The gesture honored his mother, celebrated his future, and showed the depth of the bond he shares with Woods. The weekend delivered emotion on and off the court, and Towns stepped into his new decade with gratitude.
Vikings Head Coach Shares Suspected Injury Diagnosis For Pro Bowl OL
The Minnesota Vikings were unable to convert what was shaping up to be an impressive fourth-quarter comeback against the Pittsburgh Steelers, in which they scored on consecutive possessions to set up a potential game-winning drive, into a win on Sunday morning.
Yet quarterback, Carson Wentz was unable to get his team down the field, and ultimately turned the ball over on downs after an incomplete pass to Jordan Addison on 4th and 17.
To make matters worse, Minnesota suffered a pair of injuries on the all-important offensive line, to center Ryan Kelly and long-time right tackle, Brian O’Neill.
Vikings Could Lose Key Offensive Lineman To MCL Injury
And it seems with O’Neill, who went down with a knee injury after a field goal in the first quarter, the team has an idea of what the issue could be, per head coach, Kevin O’Connell.
“Injury wise,” O’Connell said to the media in the aftermath of the 24-21 loss, “Brian O’Neill will have an MRI tonight [for his] knee.”
“I was out there when they evaluated him, don’t want to get too far ahead from the standpoint of what it might be but it sounded like they were talking about his MCL, so that’s one they’ll have to evaluate.”
O’Connell mentioned that the two-time Pro Bowler made a strong effort – despite his potentially serious injury diagnosis – to get back onto the field, but alas he was not able to continue playing.
“I know he was trying to do everything in his power to tape it up and see if he could go; one of the toughest guys on our team, so I know he would have absolutely tried to get back out there if he could. We’ll evaluate him and see where he’s at.”
O’Neill has been a mainstay on the Vikings’ offensive line ever since being selected in the second round of the 2018 draft out of the University of Pittsburgh. Now in his eighth season, the Delaware native has never missed more than three games in any individual season.
Ryan Kelly’s Concussions Starting To Become An Issue
Back to the interior of the offensive line, center Ryan Kelly suffered his second concussion in just over two weeks, after a collision in week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons forced him to sit out week 3’s blowout of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Kevin O’Connell addressed this issue in the presser, adding that any decision with regards to his availability moving forward will be left up to the discretion of the medical staff.
“The health of our players is always the beginning, the end, and the middle of that conversation,” O’Connell continued. “So we’ll totally defer to the doctors and we’ll defer to the protocol. And then ultimately, we’re gonna want to make sure Ryan’s in a good place. That’s not anything I particularly ever want to mess around with, so we’ll be smart. Definitely not my lane to weigh in on those things until we get to that place.”
Further updates will likely come in as the tests come back for both Kelly and O’Neill. But at this point, things are looking far from ideal.
