Ingles given rare start; autistic son able to watch

Sometimes, it’s about more than just basketball. Friday night in Minneapolis was one of those times.

Among those in attendance for the Pelicans–Timberwolves game at Target Center was Jacob Ingles, the son of Minnesota veteran Joe Ingles. Jacob has autism, and earlier this week, he achieved the milestone of watching an entire game in person. The only downside: His dad didn’t play.

But that changed Friday night.

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch not only made sure Ingles played but also gave him his first start since Jan. 30, 2022. Jacob — along with his mother and two siblings — watched proudly as his father inspired Minnesota to a 134-93 win.

“It’s emotional,” Finch said. “Sometimes, you have to do the human thing. And you always talk about all these minutes matter. Those minutes matter for another reason.”

Finch said the idea of starting Ingles was floated to him earlier Friday.

“And I figured if we’re going to do it, let’s do it in style,” he said. “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.”

Ingles finished scoreless in six minutes, but the night was about much more than a box score. He said his goal has, and will continue to be, raising awareness for autism.

“The s—‘s real. It doesn’t matter who you are or the lifestyle or the money,” he told reporters in Minnesota. “We’ll keep doing what we do, the awareness, and we’ll keep doing whatever we can to help other families.

“But I think people just need to understand this is a real thing. It doesn’t go away with money. It doesn’t go away with situations we’re in. All we can do is talk about it. And then obviously for us, give Jacob the best chance to fit in in this crazy world that we’re in.”