Minnesota Timberwolves Roundup: Next step for new owners, Towns on Ebony cover

The Minnesota Timberwolves incoming owners have achieved the next major step in officially acquiring 20 percent of the franchise.

Also, Karl-Anthony Towns is continuing to be visible regarding social justice initiatives and overall societal change. He’s on the cover of the latest edition of Ebony magazine and gave a compelling interview as part of the cover story as well.

Minnesota Timberwolves Roundup: Next step for new owners

When we last left incoming Timberwolves owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore, they were on the winning side of a court case between current majority owner Glen Taylor and the leading minority owner, Meyer Orbach.

The ruling paved the way for the Rodriguez-Lore group to approach the NBA Board of Governors for final approval of the sale. Now, the first stage in that process has reportedly happened, according to Chris Hine of the Star Tribune.

Rodriguez, the former Major League Baseball star, and Lore, the tech billionaire, met with the NBA Finance Committee earlier this week. The committee is part of the larger Board of Governors group and will now go back to the board and recommend approval of the pending sale.

Remember, this sale is only 20 percent of the team, which will allow Rodriguez and Lore’s group to overtake Orbach as the largest minority owner of the team. In 2022, Rodriguez and Lore have an option to purchase another 20 percent. Finally, in late 2023, they’ll be expected to buy another 20 percent of the franchise and become the majority owners.

Things certainly appear to be on track, although it’s important to remember that the second and third transactions are not guaranteed, although they have been agreed to by Taylor and the new group.

Minnesota Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns on cover of Ebony magazine

Towns has always been known to have a thoughtful, introspective, and deliberative personality.

Over the past 15 months or so, Towns has not only underscored this perception but has taken the reality to the next level.

First, there was the tragic death. of his mother, Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, due to complications of COVID-19. Towns was understandably silent in the months that followed but spoke out last fall in a touching tribute to his mom and a lengthy interview during which he described his frame of mind and exactly what his family has been going through.

In the midst of the Towns family mourning the loss of Jacqueline, George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis. Towns provided silent but strong support for the Black Lives Matter movement in the days that followed, and as time has passed since the events of Summer 2020, Towns has continued to be more involved in social justice issues.

The latest example of that is the cover story in Ebony magazine.

In the accompanying story, Towns speaks about the death of his mother and what he’s trying to do to change society and the community around him. His father, Karl Sr., also spoke to both issues, tying the death of Jacqueline directly to Towns’ current activism, believing that Karl-Anthony’s loss made him have an even greater desire to make a difference in the lives of others.

The younger Towns also talks about wanting to assist the cause of women moving into more prominent leadership positions. His new agent, Jessica Holtz, is the first female agent to represent two max-contract players. Towns’ friend and Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker is the other player she represents.

Kudos to Towns for being so outspoken. It’s a great read; be sure to go check it out.