Yahoo Sports Timberwolves players give George Floyd's family special game ball
On the night after ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd, the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Sacramento Kings to win their 16th game of the season. With the verdict fresh in their minds, the team decided to dedicate the game ball to Floyd's family.
Following their win against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night, the Timberwolves were able to present that special ball to Floyd's family in person. According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards and Josh Okogie met with Floyd's family, who live in Houston, to give them the ball.
After the win, KAT, Edwards and Okogie met with George Floyd's family, who live in Houston, and gave them the game ball from the Sacramento win, which they dedicated to Floyd and his family.
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) April 28, 2021
Jace Frederick of the Pioneer Press reported that Floyd's family was also given a Timberwolves jersey with "Floyd" on the back.
Towns: This is bigger than basketball
While Floyd's murder affected many NBA players, it hit the Timberwolves especially hard because it happened in their city. On the night of the verdict and their win against the Kings, Towns told the media that basketball is just one part of who they are, and they plan to continue to help Floyd's family grieve and move forward with their lives.
“I think for all of us, we all felt that this game was bigger than basketball,” Towns said via the Fresno Bee. “This was a moment that wasn’t meant for us. This was meant for our city and for George Floyd’s family. I think everyone in America right now is grieving with them and sending our prayers, blessings and love towards them. They need it for countless days.
“They’ve been reminded of the tragedy that has taken place in their family and never truly got a chance to grieve and recover in any sort of way. So I think for us, we were just trying to do our part to let them know that we’re here with them, that this game of basketball is only just a little part of who we are. And this organization and us wanted to really show them that we’re going to be with them every step of the way we possibly can to help them in this process, in this grieving process ... just to repair their lives as much as we possibly can.”
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