Joe Ingles gets first NBA start for Minnesota Timberwolves so son can see him play
By Jon Healy
Topic:Basketball
6m ago6 minutes agoSat 22 Mar 2025 at 4:52am
Joe Ingles with children (L to R) Jacob, MIilla and Jack on the sidelines of a Minnesota Timberwovles NBA game.
Jacob Ingles (left) made it through his first full NBA game in the stands earlier in the week. (Instagram: Renae Ingles)
In short:
Joe Ingles's oldest son, Jacob, struggles with sensory overload. However, he made it through a live NBA game for the first time earlier in the week.
With Joe's family in town again, Minnesota coach Chris Finch gave him a spot in the starting five against the New Orleans Pelicans, marking his first start in more than three years.
Joe's wife, former Australian netball star Renae, said she was "speechless with gratitude" over the gesture.
Joe Ingles's last start in an NBA game was in January 2022, so it understandably raised some eyebrows when the Aussie was announced as one of Minnesota's guards against New Orleans.
But it was revealed shortly before the game that Timberwolves coach Chris Finch had given Ingles the start for reasons beyond basketball.
Ingles has not played a minute for the Wolves for almost the past month. That has included sitting on the bench for the entirety of Sunday's game against former team Utah.
Unfortunately, that coincided with a milestone night for the Ingles family, with wife Renae and children Jacob, Milla and Jack travelling the length of the country from Orlando to Minnesota to watch.
As it turned out, it marked the first time eight-year-old Jacob, whose autism can cause sensory overload, had made it through a whole game in the stands.
"Watching him soak in every moment, I couldn't help but tear up with pride," former Australian netball star Renae posted on Instagram.
"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."
So, with the Ingles family in the stands to watch the Timberwolves again on Saturday (AEDT), Finch gave Ingles the nod to start for the first time in 1,147 days.
"I am still speechless with gratitude," Renae wrote on social media.
Joe played the first 6 minutes of the game, recording an assist before subbing out for Donte DiVincenzo as the Timberwolves completed a 134-93 victory.
Joe Ingles with the basketball for the Minnesota Timberwolves against the New Orleans Pelicans during an NBA game.
Joe Ingles played the first 6 minutes against the Pelicans (Getty Images: David Sherman/NBAE)
"It was emotional. Sometimes you've got to do the human thing," Finch said after the game.
We always talk about 'all these minutes matter', and those minutes mattered for another reason.
"Someone put it in my head today as an idea to make sure Joe can see the floor and I figured if we're going to do it, let's do it in style."
Since Jacob's diagnosis, the Ingles have been vocal ambassadors for a number of autism causes and charities, including 4ASD Kids, and have helped champion sensory rooms at sporting venues in Utah, Milwaukee, Orlando and Melbourne.
"I just don't think people understand," Joe said after the game.
"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. … You can feel people staring at you. You know they're judging, you know they're making comments about it, but they have no idea what he's gone through that day or the night before or the situation.
"Ever since he was diagnosed, it's been what we've tried to do with [raising] the awareness of, like, this shit is real."
Ingles played the first eight seasons of his NBA career with the Utah Jazz before having one-season stints with the Bucks and Magic and then arriving in Minnesota before the 2024/25 season.
The 37-year-old admitted after the game Jacob "doesn't really care" that he plays basketball.
"He wants his dad home," he told reporters.
The Timberwolves, led by star guard Anthony Edwards, are fighting for a Western Conference play-off spot and currently sit seventh out of 15 teams with 41 wins from 72 games.
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Posted6m ago6 minutes agoSat 22 Mar 2025 at 4:52am, updated5m ago5 minutes agoSat 22 Mar 2025 at 4:53am
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