Bryant remembered on farewell anniversary

A leading Italian doctor specializing in infectious diseases said on Monday he would be against Serie A restarting its season next month.

Soccer across the country, which has recorded more than 20,000 deaths from the coronavirus pandemic, has been postponed since March 9 due to the outbreak.

According to local reports, the league could begin again at the end of next month, with players returning to training on May 4.

“If I had to give a technical view, sincerely it would not be a favorable one. That being said, it will be of course for the politicians to decide,” said Giovanni Rezza, the head of infectious diseases at Italy’s National Institute of Health.

“I’ve heard certain people propose more strict observations with players tested every few days. But sincerely it seems to me a slightly far-fetched theory. And we’re almost in May already.

“It’s obvious that politics will decide. But it’s a sport that involves contact and that contact could imply a certain risk of transmission.”

Jacqueline CruzTowns, the mother of Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony

Towns, died on

Monday due to complications from COVID-19 after more than a month of fighting the virus. She was 59.

The Timberwolves made the announcement via the Towns family, which requested privacy. Karl Towns Sr, the father of the two-time All-Star player, was also hospitalized with the virus but has since recovered.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Cruz-Towns was a fixture at Timberwolves games from the start of her son’s NBA career. He was the first overall pick in the 2015 draft.

“Jackie was many things to many people — a wife, mother, daughter, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend,” a statement from the Towns family said. “She was an incredible source of strength; a fiery, caring and extremely loving person.”

The anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s 60-point NBA finale was recalled by his widow, Vanessa, on Monday in an Instagram post remembering the late Los Angeles Lakers legend.

“My husband worked his ass off for 20 years,” Vanessa Bryant wrote of her superstar husband, who died in a Jan 26 helicopter crash with daughter Gianna and seven others.

“Gave it his all. All he wanted was to spend time with our girls and me to make up for lost time. He wanted to be there for every single milestone and special moment in our girls’ lives.”

The post included a video featuring highlights from the Lakers’ win over the Utah Jazz on April 13, 2016.

Bryant scored 60 points in that, his final game in a 20-year NBA career that included five championships.

The video includes a moment showing Bryant with his family at courtside, hugging Vanessa and kissing daughters Natalia and Gianna.

The couple’s third daughter, Bianka, was born in December 2016 and their fourth, Capri, was born last June.