For the first time ever, Minnesota Timberwolves star Joe Ingles got to play an NBA game in front of his son, Jacob.
On March 21, the Timberwolves allowed Joe Ingles to start in the game, which is something he hasn’t done since January 2022, according to ESPN.
Eight-year-old Jacob, who has autism, attended his first entire NBA game March 16, per the Athletic, but Joe Ingles didn’t play.
Watching in the audience again on Friday, he saw his dad play six minutes in the game and win against the New Orleans Pelicans.
“It’s emotional,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said about having Joe Ingles start in a press conference. “Sometimes, you have to do the human thing. And you always talk about all these minutes matter. Those minutes matter for another reason.
“But someone put it in my head today as an idea to make sure that Joe can see the floor, and I figured that if we’re going to do it, let’s do it in style. So, guys were behind it, and I think it gave us just the right boost that we needed and a change of energy. It’s not often you get to do those types of things, but we’re really happy that we could,” he added.
On social media, Joe Ingles’ wife, Renae Ingles, raved about the moment. On her Instagram story, she shared a tweet from the NBA that talked about her son watching his dad on the court and wrote, “I am still speechless with gratitude.”
Then, in another post, she talked about what the moment meant for her family.
“Tonight was truly bigger than basketball for us and our family and for Chris, the team and the whole organization to support Joe and our family in the way they did tonight, particularly Jacob, is truly incredible. And this is a night that we will as a family, remember forever,” she said.
“There have been many tears today, but I’m just so proud of the person and teammate that Joe is, because the fact that the team would do something like this for him is truly a reflection of that and him and his career,” Renae Ingles added.
Renae Ingles then talked about Jacob and said she was happy that her son was able to go to Joe Ingles’ game “and stay there and engage and enjoy it.”
“So it just feels really nice this week that Joe and I can feel like we are making the right choices for Jacob and his needs,” she said.
In an Instagram post Saturday, she shared a photo of her and her kids in the crowd.
“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,” she captioned the pic. “This moment is one our family will cherish forever.”
Joe Ingles also talked about his son in an interview after the game. He explained the realities of caring for Jacob, adding that he hopes to spread awareness about autism.
“I think that people just need to understand that this is a real thing and it doesn’t go away with money. It doesn’t go away with situations you’re in,” he said. “And all we can do is talk about it and then obviously for us, is give Jacob the best chance to fit in, in this kind of crazy world that we’re in.”