Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch gave forward Joe Ingles a moment to remember during the team’s 134-93 win over the New Orleans Pelicans at the Target Center on Friday.
Ingles, 37, was in the starting lineup for the first time in three years, and it wasn’t because Finch was looking to spark the team.
Ingles’ family were in town for the game, as they live in Orlando. Ingles has three kids with his wife Renae, and one of his kids, eight-year-old Jacob, is autistic.
In Orlando, Jacob goes to a school he loves and a home that provides him with a safe haven, according to The Athletic.
For the first time ever, Jacob was able to sit through an NBA game from start to finish. Jacob had never been able to sit through an entire game before, due to sensory overload from being in an NBA arena.
During the Timberwolves’ game against the Utah Jazz on Sunday, Renae and her kids retreated to the family room during halftime. Jacob told his mother that once he got into the room, he didn’t want to miss any of the action.
“Have the timer on and watch the clock so that I don’t miss a second of the action,” Jacob said to his mom, The Athletic noted.
Renae couldn’t believe what she heard, double-checking with him to make sure he was serious. But Jacob was firm. He wanted to watch the second half.
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“Why? I can play the PlayStation at home. I’m here to watch my dad,” Jacob said.
The only problem for the Ingles family was that Joe didn’t end up playing in that game on Sunday.
Finch heard that Jacob had made it through an entire NBA game, and wanted to give the Ingles family a chance to see Joe play in their final game in Minnesota before they returned to Orlando.
So, Finch inserted Joe into the starting lineup to ensure that Jacob would see his dad play.
“Sometimes you gotta do the human thing. We always talk about how all these minutes matter, and (Ingles’) minutes mattered for another reason,” Finch said.
When Finch called Joe into his office to tell him the plan that he was starting, he was caught off guard.
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“Are you sure?” Ingles asked.
The game was of massive importance for the Timberwolves, as they are battling for the all-important No. 6 seed to avoid having to play in Play-In Tournament.
Sure enough, Ingles started. He didn’t play well, going 0-3 shooting in just six minutes, but that didn’t matter to the Ingles family.
“Tonight was a milestone night for our family, and I just had to share! I don’t usually post much NBA content, but this moment was too special to keep to myself,” Renae posted to Instagram.
“For the first time ever, Jacob made it through an entire NBA game – out in the stands cheering for his Dads team!”
“Watching him soak in every moment, I couldn’t help but tear up with pride. It’s been 6 years of hard work, dedication, and perseverance to reach this point, and here we are, riding high on this incredible achievement.”
“Feeling incredibly thankful for this journey and all the support we’ve had throughout.”
“This is the stuff,” Joe said, “I’ll remember forever.”
The Timberwolves notched the win on Friday night, but more importantly, the Ingles family walked away with a memory that will last a lifetime.
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