Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns Talks Illness, Hospitalization, Details Weight Loss

Minnesota Timberwolves star big man Karl-Anthony Towns has been dealing with a non-COVID-19 illness recently, and on Monday he opened up about his recovery.

Towns revealed to reporters that he's weighing 231 pounds, down from his usual listed weight of 248. While he didn't specify what the illness was, he said he only recently started walking again and he's excited to continue working toward a return to the court.

Towns added that he was hospitalized at one point, and the situation was so dire that basketball was far from his mind.

"There was more drastic things to worry about than basketball at that moment," he said. "I wasn’t too worried about basketball for a while. But I miss the game, I love the game. I miss these guys."

The Timberwolves signed Towns to a four-year, $224 million supermax extension in July. The deal brought the value of his contract to $295 million over six years.

In May, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported that Towns underwent stem-cell treatment and platelet-rich plasma injections in both knees, his left ankle, left wrist and right finger. He had been playing through injuries toward the end of Minnesota's playoff run and chose those treatments in hopes of avoiding surgery.

The No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft, the Kentucky product has developed into one of the best offensive big men in the NBA. The 26-year-old averaged 24.6 points and 9.8 rebounds last season while shooting 52.9 percent from the field and 41.0 percent from three-point range.

The Timberwolves made one of the most significant acquisitions of the offseason, completing a blockbuster trade with the Utah Jazz for center Rudy Gobert. The three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year should take a ton of pressure off Towns in Minnesota's frontcourt.

Wolves head coach Chris Finch said Towns will miss the team's preseason opener against the Miami Heat on Tuesday. The Timberwolves are likely to take a cautious approach to his recovery in hopes of having him at his best during the season.