Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch inserted forward Joe Ingles into the starting lineup Friday for a special reason.
Ingles' son Jacob, who has autism, was in attendance at the Target Center for the T-Wolves' 134-93 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. The contest was just the second time Jacob watched an entire game in person and the first time seeing his father play.
"It's emotional," Finch told reporters after the game, according to ESPN. "Sometimes, you have to do the human thing. And you always talk about all these minutes matter. Those minutes matter for another reason."
"And I figured if we're going to do it, let's do it in style," Finch added.
The autism spectrum disorder is a neurological and developmental disorder that can alter how people learn, interact, communicate, and behave.
"As a dad, just really proud that he's worked so hard every day at school and therapy and speech and everything that he has to do to fit in - in a not-very-friendly world a lot of the time," Ingles said postgame.
Ingles finished scoreless in six minutes of play, but Finch said the decision to include the Australian in the starting five helped inspire the team to a lopsided win.
"Guys were behind it, and I think it gave us just the right boost that we needed and a change of energy," Finch said. "It's not often you get to do those types of things, but we're really happy that we could."
Ingles' wife and their two other children were also in attendance as the veteran made his first start since Jan. 30, 2022. Ingles spoke about the challenges of autism and the importance of raising awareness.
"The reality of it is I just don't think people understand. It gets kind of confused because of the money and the lifestyle," Ingles said. "It is a little less stressed because I can afford to pay for Jacob to get what he needs.
"But it doesn't take away the meltdowns in the supermarket. There's been so many times ... that he's laying on the floor in public. You can feel people staring at you. You know they're judging you. You know they're making comments about it. But they have no idea what he's going through that day or the night before or the situation."
Ingles added, "We'll keep doing what we do. We'll keep pushing the awareness, and we'll do whatever we can to help other families."
