Joe Ingles is nearing the end of his NBA career. After eight successful years with the Utah Jazz, which ended with a torn ACL, he has been playing for different teams for the past three years. Following stints with the Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic, he is now with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Before Friday’s game, he had played sparingly this season, only 108 minutes in 18 games.
However, in Friday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Ingles was surprisingly in the starting lineup. This wasn’t due to any injuries, as all of Minnesota’s usual starters were available and played in their dominant 134-93 victory over the Pelicans. It also wasn’t a strategic basketball decision. The Timberwolves have been playing well, winning nine of their last 11 games, so there was no need to shake things up. Head coach Chris Finch made the decision to start Ingles for a truly heartwarming personal reason.
According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Ingles’ family has been staying in Orlando while he played in Minnesota. They were visiting, and a week prior, Ingles’ son Jacob, who is autistic, achieved a significant milestone: he attended his first NBA game in an arena. Unfortunately, his father didn’t play in that game. With the Ingles family present again on Friday, Coach Finch ensured Jacob would see his dad play by including Joe in the starting lineup. Finch became emotional when discussing his decision after the game.
‘It was emotional,’ Finch said. ‘Sometimes you have to prioritize humanity. We always talk about how every minute matters, and these minutes mattered for a different reason. Someone suggested the idea today to make sure Joe got to play. I thought if we were going to do it, let’s do it properly. The team supported it, and I think it gave us a positive boost and a change of energy. You don’t often get to do things like this, but we’re really happy we could.’
Ingles expressed deep gratitude for the gesture. ‘People get fired every day. Coaches on multi-year contracts get let go, players get traded. It’s a tough business. The fact that he even considered this shows a lot,’ he said. Ingles is a well-liked teammate throughout the NBA, and his teammates were certainly glad to be part of such a special moment for him. Ingles has been a strong advocate for autism awareness since his son’s diagnosis. On Friday, the Timberwolves not only created a lasting memory for Joe and Jacob but also raised awareness that can help and inspire many other families within the NBA community.
