Meet Karl-Anthony Towns, Jordyn Woods’ NBA player boyfriend: he and Kylie Jenner’s former bestie began dating after bonding over losing a parent

Sep 15 , 2024

Meet Karl-Anthony Towns, Jordyn Woods’ seven-foot-tall boyfriend who was named 2023-24 NBA Social Justice Champion. Photo: @karltowns/Instagram

Woods has been in the spotlight since she appeared on Life of Kylie, but what do we know about her Minnesota Timberwolves power forward boyfriend, recently named 2023-24 NBA Social Justice Champion?

Jordyn Woods has been in the spotlight since her friendship with Kylie Jenner was featured on the 2017 Keeping up with the Kardashians spin-off, Life of Kylie. Though her relationship with the Kardashian-Jenners may have evolved since then, Woods continues to attract public attention.

Since 2020, she has been in a relationship with the NBA’s Karl-Anthony Towns, who plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves – and was recently named 2023-24 NBA Social Justice Champion.

So what else do we know about the NBA power forward?

How did Karl-Anthony Towns get into basketball?

Karl-Anthony Towns shared a childhood photo in April 2020 in tribute to his mother, Jacqueline Cruz, who died at just 58 from Covid-19. Photo: @karltowns/Instagram

Karl-Anthony Towns was born in 1995 to a Dominican mother, Jaqueline Cruz, and African-American father, Karl Towns Sr.

His father, a high school basketball coach, began training his son from a young age. By fifth grade, Towns was practising with the high school’s junior varsity team. As a first-year at St Joseph High School, he led his team to the state championships, repeating the feat in his sophomore and junior years.

His performance earned him the top spot in ESPN’s national ranking of high school players in 2015, when he was 16 years old.

Towns stands at an impressive 213cm (7 ft).

He’s played for the Dominican Republic since he was 16

Karl Anthony-Towns has represented the Dominican Republic internationally since 2012, having debuted for the country of his mother’s birth when he was just 16. Photo: Getty Images

Also aged 16, Towns was selected to play for the Dominican Republic during Olympic qualifying, an opportunity made possible through his mother’s heritage.

“To be selected to the Olympic team is one of the greatest feelings I’ve had in a while,” Towns told ESPN at the time. “It shows that all the work I’ve put in is coming out to be a great success, and it will motivate me more to practise and play even harder. I feel like a kid in a candy store.”