Karl-Anthony Towns knows what it’s like when a health scare makes basketball feel small. In October 2022, a throat infection put him in the hospital with trouble breathing. He lost 17 pounds and couldn’t walk for days. “There was more drastic things to worry about than basketball,” he said afterward.
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On Monday, Towns sent support to someone facing a scare of his own.
“Prayers up for @JalenHurts,” Towns wrote on X. He posted it on the eve of the Knicks’ season opener. Towns grew up in New Jersey and is an Eagles fan. He posted the same day the Eagles confirmed how serious Hurts’ condition is.
On Monday morning, the Eagles and Hurts’ agent, Nicole Lynn, released a joint statement confirming that he has a deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli. A clot had formed in a deep vein, and clots had reached both of his lungs.
Tom Pelissero reported that new imaging over the weekend found several clots in his lungs. Hurts is on blood thinners, is expected to miss multiple months, and is unlikely to play again this season.
According to Pelissero, doctors told Hurts not to sleep as a precaution after the initial diagnosis of a superficial blood clot in London. The Eagles QB stayed awake for roughly 36 hours before starting against the Jaguars. He threw for 220 yards and a touchdown in a 19-17 loss.
It started with a calf injury. Hurts was cleated in his left calf during the Eagles’ Week 4 loss to the Rams, and specialists in London later found the clot. A follow-up exam showed it had moved. Hurts was ruled out against Carolina and placed on injured reserve over the weekend.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that his treatment will take at least three months.
The overall news for the long term is good. The joint statement said Hurts is expected to make a full recovery with no long-term effects. But he can’t resume contact football until he’s off blood thinners, which is why his season is likely over after five starts. In the meantime, he will stay around the team and keep conditioning.
The timing of it all is, however, brutal. Without their star quarterback, the Eagles lost 25-14 to the Panthers on Sunday, with backup Tanner McKee. It was their fourth straight loss and dropped their overall record to 2-4. With the NFC East being relatively weak, they are still second, so the division might be within reach.
However, they will still have to go after it without the man who led them to a Super Bowl LIX title. The Eagles haven’t missed the playoffs since 2020.
Karl-Anthony Towns Knows What a Health Scare Feels Like
Karl-Anthony Towns has talked about how frightening serious illness can be. After missing 13 games with COVID-19 in 2021, he described “a lot of scary nights” and said the virus did not treat him well. His infection came only months after his mother, Jacqueline, died from complications of COVID-19.
His 2022 hospitalization added to it. He told reporters he was down to 231 pounds from his listed 248, and he did not get clearance to walk again until the Saturday before he spoke. He thanked the hospital staff for getting him healthy again.
Towns knows how long the road back can feel, even when the doctors are optimistic. He opens the season Tuesday against the 76ers. Hurts starts a recovery that will keep him off the field until next year.