- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 393,790
- Reaction score
- 43
You must be registered for see images attach
The crowd cheers as Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch puts Joe Ingles into the game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. Ingles played with the Jazz from 2014-2022. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
A little over six years ago now, Joe and Renae Ingles shared publicly that their son Jacob had been diagnosed with autism.
Joe Ingles was playing for the Utah Jazz then, and in the years since, the couple has publicly advocated in word and deed for people with autism.
Joe Ingles has since played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic and now the Minnesota Timberwolves, and his family has been a pretty regular presence at games, though Jacob Ingles hasn’t been able to make it through an entire game in the stands at an arena — until last Sunday when, perhaps ironically, the Timberwolves faced the Jazz.
Renae, Jacob and the rest of the Ingles family (Jacob has a twin sister named Milla and there is a younger son named Jack) still live in Orlando but took a trip up to Minnesota. While Renae Ingles documented the “milestone night” for her family of Jacob making it through the game, Joe Ingles didn’t play, which was not all that surprising given that he’s only played in 19 of the Timberwolves’ 72 games so far this season.
But on Friday night, Minnesota head coach Chris Finch made perhaps a surprising move. Not only did he put Ingles into a game for the first time since Feb. 24, but he put him in the starting lineup for the first time all season, removing Mike Conley, who has been a teammate of Ingles in Utah and now Minnesota.
The reason: To give Jacob Ingles the chance to hear his dad’s name be called in the starting lineup and to make sure he got to see him play.
Joe Ingles wound up playing just six minutes in the Timberwolves’ 134-93 thrashing of the New Orleans Pelicans. He missed all three of his shot attempts and registered just one assist against two fouls and a turnover, but the story was the talk of the NBA Friday night nonetheless.
“Yeah, it’s emotional. You know, sometimes you gotta do the human thing,” Finch said after the game. “We always talk about all these minutes matter, and those minutes matter for another reason. Someone put it in my head today as an idea, to make sure that Joe can see the floor. I figured if we’re gonna do it let’s do it in style.
“Guys were behind it, and I think it gave us just the right boost that we needed and change of energy. His voice in the locker room and his presence and his personality on this team and his leadership has meant everything, particularly for our young guys, and so, you know, it’s the least we could do.”
In typical Joe Ingles fashion, he was asked after the game how it’s been to have his family in town and he wisecracked, “Busy. Tiring. No, it’s obviously cool. They haven’t really been here all year, so to have them here for 10 days, obviously get to play in front of them and obviously Jacob getting two games in a row now he stayed, so hopefully I’ll have to play a little longer.”
In a post on Instagram Saturday, Renae Ingles wrote, “Last night, Coach Chris Finch of the Timberwolves made a heartfelt gesture by starting my husband Joe for the first time since 2022, allowing our autistic son to hear his dad’s name called out. This moment is one our family will cherish forever.Words can’t fully express our gratitude for such kindness.
“Those minutes on the court meant so much more than just a basketball game.I’m incredibly proud of Jacob for all his hard work that brought him to the stands, but my heart swells with pride for Joe.It’s a testament to his character, and to the amazing people in this organisation who recognise him and would do something like this for him. Just wow. Thank-you, Timberwolves!”
Continue reading...
