You were probably just as surprised as we were when Joe Ingles started for the Minnesota Timberwolves against the New Orleans Pelicans. But this wasn’t just Chris Finch deciding to shake up his starting lineup on a whim. Far from it.

The real reason behind Joe getting his first start of the season is actually really heartwarming. Let’s find out why as we discuss the veteran forward’s family, starting with his wife, Renae.

Who is Joe Ingles married to? What does his wife Renae do for a living?

For Renae Ingles, keeping her family together meant making a tough choice—continuing her decorated netball career in Australia or joining her husband, Joe Ingles, in the U.S. as he pursued his NBA dreams. It would’ve been one thing if Renae were an average player whose body was giving out on her. But that simply wasn’t the case. Renae retired in her prime at 32 while she was one of the best players in the world.

But that’s just how much she cares about her husband Joe and their children. “We just needed to live under one roof,” she said. “The decision wasn’t easy. In terms of giving up my career, it was incredibly tough.”

But this was a decision SHE made for her family’s sake. What a strong will! And Joe knew this. He knew this call was hers and hers alone to make. “We weren’t sure when it would happen, but when the time came, I wanted to leave it up to her. I didn’t want to pressure her,” he revealed.

Evidently, this was the right decision for them, as now they have a happy marriage and a thriving family. But where did it all begin?

When did Joe and Renae Ingles get married? How did they meet?

At this point, Joe and Renae Ingles have been together for nearly a decade. But the timeline of their first date remains disputed. “I definitely didn’t beg,” Joe insists since Renae likes to joke that she made Joe beg her for three weeks just to share a cup of coffee and a conversation. All this unfolded when Joe had just led the South Dragons to the Australian National Basketball League championship, while Renae had just won the national netball championship as part of the Melbourne Vixens.

Joe recalls his anxiety after they’d decided on their first get-together. “I just knew that I was going to wake up to a message from her that said she couldn’t come,” he said. But that didn’t happen. Instead, the couple hit it off instantly! “I knew right away that I wanted to marry her,” said Joe. Well, that’s exactly what he did. And now Joe and Renae have three kids together. Let’s find out more about them.

How many children does Joe Ingles have? What happened to his son? 

Renae and Joe Ingles have three kids, a pair of twins, Jacob and Milia, born in 2016, and Jack, who came into the world in 2020. But there’s something about Jacob that sets him apart from his siblings. What’s that? Well, in 2019, Joe Ingles and his wife learned that Jacob was diagnosed with autism.

There was a lot of trepidation within Joe in the days following the diagnosis. His usual gregarious demeanor was replaced by a robotic, quiet one. “People knew something was up,” he says, looking back. But soon, Joe and Renae decided that it was time for a conversation. They went public with their son’s diagnosis and the response couldn’t have been better. The support pouring in from everywhere instantly washed away any anxiety Joe had about sharing this intimate detail about his son to the world.

He now thinks the world is better off for having learned this. “The more people that talk about it, the better,” said the Aussie forward. And talking about Jacob brings us back to the moving gesture we mentioned at the start. Knowing that this was the first time Joe Ingles’ family would be watching his game in person after traveling from their family home in Orlando, Chris Finch made a decision.

And this decision was to give him his first start of the season for the T-Wolves, all so Jacob and the rest of the Ingles family could watch him play! What a beautiful gesture from the Minnesota head coach. We tip our hats to Finch and hope the Ingles family enjoyed every moment of it. This is what the game of basketball is all about: bringing joy to the ones watching it.