Minnesota returned to form after a couple rough performances earlier in the week, cranking up the defensive intensity to force 26 turnovers in a 134-93 rout of New Orleans.
But that was the side story Friday at Target Center. The real news took place earlier in the day, when Timberwolves coach Chris Finch informed the team Joe Ingles, who’d played sparingly this season, would start against the Pelicans.
Ingles family is based in Orlando, where the forward played last season. They stayed back there because of the supports Joe’s 8-year-old, autistic son, Jacob, receives in the area. But this week was spring break for Joe’s children, so the family came up to Minnesota. Jacob has never enjoyed NBA arenas. The lights and noises were simply too much. Early in his life, he didn’t want to come to games at all. Eventually, he graduated to hanging out in the team’s family room and sometimes would watch maybe a half quarter of action.
Joe took his son to a Wild game on a visit earlier this season, and Jacob was ready to leave after a few minutes.
So it was to Ingles’ amazement that when he looked at his family’s seats in the second half of Minnesota’s win Sunday over Utah, Jacob was still in attendance. That game marked the first one ever that Jacob sat through an entire contest.
Ingles was overcome with pride. Through speech, therapy, school, Jacob has put in ample time to “fit in in a not very friendly world a lot of the time,” Joe noted. But the rewards are evident in weeks like this, when he can sit with his mom and siblings and watch his dad play.
The only problem was Joe didn’t see any action Sunday. Finch wanted to make sure that was corrected Friday. Even while trying to snap a two-game losing streak amid a hyper-competitive Western Conference playoff race, the coach wanted to start Ingles over an always cooperative Mike Conley.
“Sometimes you gotta do the human thing,” Finch said. “We always talk about all these minutes matter, and those minutes matter for another reason. Someone put it in my head today, an idea to make sure that Joe can see the floor. And I figured, if we’re going to do it, let’s do it in style.
“Guys were behind it, and I think it gave us the just the right, the right boost that we needed and change of energy. So it’s not often that you get to do those types of things. But we’re really happy that we could.”
As was Ingles.
“Obviously he didn’t have to do it. I’m well aware of the last two games and the situation we’re in, and if it never came up, I would’ve never thought about it, I would’ve addressed it, it wouldn’t have been anything,” Ingles said. “And I did question him when he first said it, like, ‘Are you sure?’ I get it, and it’s a super cool thing for you to think about. But it’s his job, it’s our job, everyone has got a job on the line at the end of the day, as well. Even the fact that it crossed his mind (was meaningful).”
It’d certainly been on Joe’s mind. He’d always thought about the chance for Jacob to be able to see him introduced as a starter and play meaningful minutes. But it didn’t feel like much of a possibility for a variety of reasons.
Jacob was non-verbal for years. Joe and his wife didn’t know if there son would ever be able to speak. Even now, as Jacob continues to make monumental strides, he still faces many challenges.
“I just don’t think people understand. It gets kind of confused because of the money and the lifestyle of what we get to live. There’s a little less stress because I can afford to pay for Jacob to get what he needs, but it doesn’t take away the meltdowns in the supermarket,” Ingles said. “There’s been so many times that my wife is laying on the floor in public and you can feel people staring at you, you know they’re judging you and commenting about it. But they have no idea what he’s gone through that day or the night before or the situation.”
Joe and his wife, Renae, have made numerous efforts to raise awareness about autism ever since Jacob was first diagnosed.
“For eight years, Jacob has never been able to enjoy the same things his brother and sister have. I think a lot of people in life take it for granted, especially with kids. It’s one of those things that we have missed out on a lot of (stuff) because of what Jacob goes through, and not just basketball – aquarium, the schools, in the car,” Joe said. “There’s a lot to it that people don’t see behind the scenes.”
But Jacob was there this week. And that was another mark of progress, which brings Joe immense joy.
He was able to visit with Jacob right after the game’s conclusion. Jacob handed his dad a little Timberwolves chain.
“And then begged for me to take him home,” Joe said.
He’d again stayed for the whole game to watch dad, and now it was time to enjoy being with him.
“Just really cool,” Joe said. “There’s a couple moments that you remember basketball-wise of winning medals and doing this and all that. But there’s a couple other moments of these things that I’ll never forget.”
Originally Published: March 21, 2025 at 9:28 PM CDT
