Joe Ingles’ son: Timberwolves star’s autistic son achieves major milestone at NBA game

Minnesota Timberwolves star Joe Ingles' eldest son, Jacob, has autism, which makes it hard for him to attend NBA games.

Joe Ingles’ son: Timberwolves star’s autistic son achieves major milestone at NBA game

Jacob Ingles watched his father Joe Ingles start for the Minnesota Timberwolves

Joe Ingles has played eleven seasons in the NBA. Going undrafted in 2009, the Australian plied his trade across the world until he finally ended up with the chance to make a mark in the American league. Now after all this time, he has successfully established himself as a great locker room presence.

This season, he wears the Minnesota Timberwolves jersey and had played eighteen games so far. But considering the talent on the team, he has never started in any of them even though he is their biggest cheerleader. Tonight though, that was about to change.

YouTube video

As the team got ready to play the New Orleans Pelicans, it was announced that Joe Ingles was in the starting lineup. This surprised many, considering the Australian’s last start was three years ago. it turns out, head coach Chris Finch started Ingles for reasons other than basketball.

The star’s eldest son, Jacob Ingles (8), has autism that can cause sensory overload. That does not help him get through an entire NBA game This means, he has not witnessed his father playing a basketball game. After years of hard work and perseverance, Jacob Ingles has better control over his emotions.

Five days ago, the Ingles family flew out from their home in Orlando to Minneapolis. Jacob Ingles then watched a full NBA game for the first time on March 16th. But his father did not play in that game. The Ingles family did not make it to the next two games.

But tonight, Chris Finch decided to make it right. Once the Timberwolves announced their starters, it made sense for the family to watch the game. They arrived and Jacob Ingles watched his father start for the first time, cheering him on every second of those six minutes.

Renae Ingles ‘filled with gratitude’ for son’s milestone

The Ingles’ have worked hard to help their eldest son get acclimatized better with time. However, an NBA arena can still be overwhelming for anyone with sensory overload issues. But Jacob Ingles was ready to watch an entire game. After he achieved his milestone, his mother Renae Ingles wrote this on Instagram.

Tonight was a milestone night for our family. Watching him soak in every moment, I couldn’t help but tear up with pride. 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.

Renae Ingles wrote

She ended her post by being thankful for the support she and her husband have received throughout these years. The former netball player has been staying with her children in Orlando as Joe Ingles was working in Minneapolis. It was a tough task, but they are making progress to help their son enjoy life.

Joe Ingles details the difficulties they have faced

Handling a child with autism is not an easy task. Parents have to always be mindful of the child and constantly engage with the child to prevent them from having bouts of sensory overload, especially in public. Joe Ingles details how difficult it is, especially when they go out.

I just don’t think people understand. 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.

Joe Ingles said

The Minnesota Timberwolves star has earned over $80 million in his NBA career. He clarified that he could afford to pay for his son’s needs. But it is the way other people react to autism that is difficult to digest. He and his wife are working on spreading awareness.