"Losing a parent is tough" - Karl-Anthony Towns speaks out on Draymond Green's jab over missing Warriors matchup

On Friday, Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green went viral for his comments about Karl-Anthony Towns. The Warriors played the New York Knicks on Wednesday, but Towns was out due to personal reasons. This led to speculation that he was avoiding a matchup against former teammate Jimmy Butler.

Green addressed the situation on "The Draymond Green Podcast," claiming that Towns did not want to play against Butler. However, the real reason behind Towns’ absence soon became public.

According to Towns' girlfriend, Jordyn Woods, the couple recently suffered a personal loss. Despite this, Green pointed out that his comments were based on speculation that surfaced before his take went viral.

Towns later addressed Green’s remarks, choosing to take the high road rather than escalate the situation.

“I choose to approach that with love and not hate. That’s all I really care about,” Towns said Sunday. “I hope no one has to go through what I went through and those kids — and what those kids had to go through. Losing a parent is tough.”

Towns returned to action Friday night, when the Knicks lost 105-95 to the LA Clippers. He opened up about his grieving process.

"It's been a very tough week," Towns said. "Especially, for a week for a place where I'm usually comfortable at in the summer. It meant a lot to have my teammates supporting me and understanding the situation...

"We were all very close with this woman. For me, it's a little tougher, having to open old wounds up having to be there for her kids that lost their mother, and I know how that is. Two boys that lost their mother, I know the feeling."

After his comments about Karl-Anthony Towns, Green says his show "must go on"

Draymond Green's initial comments did not sit well with fans and analysts. Once he learned of the big man’s personal loss, the four-time NBA champion expressed his condolences.

He also wished Towns and his family well and said his show “must go on.”

Since then, his co-host Baron Davis has also issued an apology on X (formerly Twitter).