Joe Ingles made his first start of the season for a very special reason.
The Australian athlete, 37, joined the Minnesota Timberwolves’ starting lineup on Friday, March 21, so his 8-year-old son Jacob, who has autism, could see him play in an NBA game for the first time in person. It was Ingles’ first time on a starting lineupin three years.
Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch added Ingles to the lineup shortly before the game started after learning that the veteran forward’s family was in the audience — and that Jacob had never seen his father in action during a professional game, according to The Athletic.
Ingles’ son — along with wife Renae and their two other children — were visiting from their home in Orlando, and Jacob was only recently able to make it through an entire NBA game, according to The New York Times.
Previously on March 16, Jacob — who was diagnosed with autism when he was 2 — watched the Timberwolves play the Utah Jazz, a task he hadn’t completed before due to the sensory overload, per The Athletic. But the only downside to the exciting breakthrough was that Ingles did not make it out on the court that day.
During halftime, the 8-year-old reportedly told his mom that he had a timer on so he wouldn’t “miss a second of the action,” Renae recalled to The Athletic. And, when asked if he would prefer to go home and play video games, he said, “Why? I can play the PlayStation at home. I’m here to watch my dad.”
Joe Ingles’ kids watch him play with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Renae Ingles/Instagram
So on Friday, as the Timberwolves prepared to take on New Orleans Pelicans at Minneapolis’ Target Center — and Ingles’ family settled to watch one last game before heading back to Orlando — Finch made a decision he later called “the human thing.” He gave Jacob his wish to watch his dad play in person, adding the forward to the starting lineup.
Ingles — who had appeared in only 18 of the team’s previous 71 games, with five of the appearances lasting 3 seconds or less — took the court on Friday with Jacob in the audience, playing for the first six minutes of the game, according to The Athletic.
The team went on to win 134-93, with Finch later telling reporters that Ingles playing for his son was the “right boost” the team needed to clinch the victory.
“Yeah, it’s emotional,” the coach said of the gesture in a post-game presser. “Sometimes, you gotta do the human thing. And we always talk about all these minutes matter, and those reasons matter for another reason.”
Finch said someone suggested the idea to him earlier in the day, “and I figured if we’re going to do it, let’s do it in style.”
“The guys were behind it, and I think it gave us just the right boost that we needed and change of energy,” the coach said, adding that Ingles’ voice and leadership on the Timberwolves “has meant everything, particularly to our young guys, so it’s the least we can do.”
Reacting to the special moment, Ingles said, “This is the stuff I’ll remember forever,” while Renae echoed this on Instagram, writing that “words can’t fully express our gratitude for such kindness.”
Joe Ingles’ family on March 21, 2025.
Renae Ingles/Instagram
In a thank-you post to Finch, the mom of three also wrote that “those minutes on the court meant so much more than just a basketball game,” and said she is “incredibly proud of Jacob for all his hard work that brought him to the stands, but my heart swells with pride for Joe.”
Speaking with The Athletic, she opened up about the behind-the-scenes hardship that has to exist so that moments like these can happen.
“This truly took years and years of work and practice and getting it wrong and not having it work and trying things and failing at things and so much sacrifice to get to this point,” Renae told the outlet. “So it feels nice this week that Joe and I can feel like we are making the right choices for Jacob and his needs.”
“But, it’s not all rainbows … We still have those days and moments,” she added.
