It was an emotional night for Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Karl-Anthony Towns when they visited New York to face the Brooklyn Nets on Monday. There were over 1,700 people in attendance in the Barclays Center ready to watch the match-up, including one very special fan who was rooting for KAT: Karl Towns Sr.

Towns shared a special moment with his dad prior to the tip-off.

“Me and my dad got emotional before the game,” the Timberwolves star said, via Malika Andrews of ESPN. “Because he made his presence known. It affected me because my mom always did that.”

This was the first time that Karl Sr. was able to be physically present in a Timberwolves game of his son after the passing of Karl-Anthony's mom, Jackie Cruz-Towns, back in April 2020 due to complications brought about by COVID-19.

“It was really the first time having family watch me playing in person,” Towns added. “And it's crazy seeing my dad, I'm like, ‘Where's my mom?' She's gonna come and obviously, she's not gonna show up. That affected me, but I go out there and play the best I can for this team.”

The 25-year-old, as always, played with his heart on his sleeve against the Nets. He dropped 31 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks only to fall short against James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Blake Griffin, and the rest of Brooklyn's mighty unit, 112-107.

It has been an emotional calendar year for Karl-Anthony Towns, as he's been dealing with issues both on and off the court. It doesn't help that the Timberwolves have the current worst record in the league with an 11-36 record.

But like a true warrior, Towns carries on.