NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns and model Jordyn Woods are officially engaged, marking a new chapter for a couple whose relationship blossomed from a years-long friendship into one of the most celebrated partnerships in professional sports.
The New York Knicks center proposed to Woods on Wednesday, Dec. 24, sharing the news via social media. The announcement comes just over five years after the pair first began dating.
The Proposal
Woods shared the news with her millions of Instagram followers, posting a series of photos of the couple. The images featured Woods wearing a massive diamond ring, a detail that had previously sparked engagement rumors when the couple moved to the East Coast following Towns’ trade to the Knicks in late 2024.
The engagement marks a high point in a year of milestones for the couple. In November, Woods went viral for a deeply personal 30th birthday gift for Towns: a restored vintage car identical to the one driven by his late mother, Jacqueline Towns.
How They Met
The couple’s journey did not begin with a whirlwind romance. Towns and Woods were introduced by mutual friends several years before they began dating. For a long time, they maintained a platonic relationship, with Woods even admitting in past interviews that she used to refer to the 7-foot center as a “brother.”
“Me and Jordyn met years ago knowing common people and just became friends,” Towns said during a 2021 episode of Woods’ Instagram series, Regular-ish. “Ever since then, our relationship grew where we became more than friends. I’m not saying in that way, but just best friends.”
A Relationship Forged in Hardship
The transition from “best friends” to romantic partners occurred in May 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The period was one of immense personal tragedy for Towns, who lost his mother and six other family members to complications from the virus.
Woods remained by his side throughout the grieving process, a support system that Towns later credited with deepening their bond.
“COVID came and kind of brought its challenges, and it kind of forced us to either pick where our relationship was going to go as friends or something more,” Towns reflected. “And we chose the latter.”
They went “Instagram official” in September 2020 while vacationing in Mexico for Woods’ 23rd birthday. Since then, the couple has been inseparable, frequently appearing at high-profile events together, from the NBA All-Star Game to the Met Gala.
A New Chapter in New York
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The engagement follows the couple’s recent relocation to New York City. Since Towns joined the Knicks, the pair has fully embraced life in the Big Apple, becoming staples at local sporting events and fashion shows.
Woods, a successful entrepreneur and founder of the clothing brand Woods by Jordyn, has been a constant presence courtside at Madison Square Garden this season.
While a wedding date has not yet been announced, the engagement solidifies what fans have long suspected: that the former “best friends” have found their lifelong teammates in each other.
Flip the pages for more photos of Jordyn Woods.
