The profound biblical inspiration fueling Karl-Anthony Towns' incredible NBA Finals journey and how Philippians 4:13 has become his guiding principle.



The New York big man who helped propel the Knicks to the NBA Finals says a Bible verse has been a source of inspiration throughout his career.

Karl-Anthony Towns has been instrumental in New York's deep playoff run, helping lead the Knicks to a Finals showdown with San Antonio – and positioning the franchise for its first NBA championship since 1973.

Towns, who averaged 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds per game this season, has frequently honored his late mother in postgame interviews. Jacqueline Cruz-Towns died in April 2020 from complications related to COVID-19. She was 58.

Speaking to ESPN's Scott Van Pelt after the Knicks’ win in Game 2, Towns also pointed to the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:13 as a source of strength and inspiration.

Karl-Anthony Towns on losing his mom.

“Other than losing a child, there's nothing worse you could go through, and it builds you, it builds you up, and it strengthens you beyond measure,” Towns said of his mother’s passing. “That's why I’ve got Philippians 4:13 and the date [of her passing] tattooed on my neck – ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’

“I was strengthened on April 13 [2020] when I lost my mother. That's been my favorite Bible verse my whole entire life since I was little.”

But Towns said the verse took on a deeper meaning after the loss of his mother.

“I didn't know the significance [the verse] would have in my life when I became an adult, but what I do know is that I truly can do anything when I walk in faith, when I walk with the angels beside me – I feel anything is possible,” he said. “I feel nothing is impossible.”

Towns also expressed gratitude for the community members who helped shape his life.

“I'm just grateful to be in this position, because I know a lot of friends of mine that are not here to see this moment,” he said. “I know a lot of people I love tremendously that aren't here to give me that hug or to give me that text message. So I'm doing this for them, I do this for them, I do it for my mother's country, I do it for everybody in the Dominican Republic, I do it for everyone in the city that welcomed my mother when she immigrated over. I do it for all my family in New Jersey that allowed me to be raised and allowed me to love this game of basketball and allowed me to be a kid with my mother and enjoy those times.”

Although Towns grew up in New Jersey, his mother was a native of the Dominican Republic.

“It takes a tribe to get here, and it takes a village, and I'm so blessed that I've had the village I've had in my life to get to this point.”

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