Joe Ingles on his son: 'Jacob doesn’t care that I play basketball. He just wants his dad home'

Joe Ingles: "Yeah, because I don’t think people understand. It gets kind of confused because of the money and the lifestyle. Yes, it’s a little less stressful because I can afford for Jacob to get what he needs. But it doesn’t take away the meltdowns in the supermarket. There were so many times my wife was alone with him, laying on the floor in public. You can feel people staring, judging, making comments—but they don’t know what he’s going through. Since he got diagnosed, we’ve tried to raise awareness. It doesn’t matter who you are—your lifestyle or your money. Jacob doesn’t care that I play basketball. He just wants his dad home.

Source: YouTube

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Christopher Hine @ChristopherHine

Chris Finch on starting Joe Ingles tonight so Ingles' son Jacob could see him play for the first time: "It was emotional. Sometimes you gotta do the human thing. We always talk about all these minutes matter, and those minutes matter for another reason." - 11:08 PM

More on this storyline

Joe Ingles: "As a dad, I’m really proud. He’s worked so hard every day at school, therapy, speech. His team helps him fit in—in a not very friendly world, a lot of the time. For him to work so hard and now be out there with his brother and sister and his mom and all sit there and watch his dad—it’s just super cool. Especially with my daughter coming along, our youngest, to enjoy things with his brother and sister. I think a lot of people, especially with kids, think you miss out on stuff. It’s not just about buses, aquariums, schools, or cars—it’s not like, 'Oh, you’re in the NBA, you’ve got money, those problems go away.' They don’t. It’s a reality for us every day. Jacob’s doing great now, but there are still challenges we go through." -via YouTube / March 22, 2025

The Wolves ran the first play for Ingles, who finished 0-for-3, but it didn’t matter that he didn’t score. “At this point in my career, if it happened it happened, and if it didn’t it didn’t,” Ingles said. “To look up there tonight and I could see my name, and especially with Jacob — obviously, to Mike as well, being cool with it, it’s rare in this league for someone to give up something that he’s earned over 16 years to give me that opportunity. It’s something I’ll never forget.” -via Minneapolis Star-Tribune / March 22, 2025

"So Chris, how did the conversation go with Joe when you brought it to him?" Chris Finch: "You know, he was really appreciative—emotional. And you know, obviously I had to have a conversation with Mike too, who was super pumped. And everyone in the organization was really excited for that, and for their family, and for Jacob in particular. But yeah, you know, Joe's meant so much to us this season. I can't begin to thank him for his leadership. In a team such as ours and the way we're constructed, we brought him here with a different vision, and that hasn't worked out just simply because we've got so much depth after the trade. We're just trying to get all these guys into a rhythm and connectivity and stuff. And he's been always ready. But his voice in the locker room, and his presence, and his personality on this team, and his leadership has meant everything—particularly for our young guys. So, you know, it's the least we could do." -via YouTube / March 22, 2025

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Joe Ingles on his son: 'Jacob doesn’t care that I play basketball. He just wants his dad home'