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Minnesota Timberwolves Biography: Players, Net Worth, History, Stats

10 min
Minnesota Timberwolves Biography: Players, Net Worth, History, Stats

The Minnesota Timberwolves are the rising force in the NBA league that was founded in 1989. They are based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. They belong to the Western Conference and compete from the Northwest division. The franchise has been in the league for 36 seasons, but they have not won a single championship. Is an NBA title close to the Minnesota Timberwolves franchise? What are their aids for following their dreams? We will discuss it all in the following piece.

Minnesota Timberwolves Profile

The Minnesota Timberwolves are known for their persistence. They knew that building a solid roster takes time, and they did not give up on hopes after the departure of their star player, Kevin Garnett. But before moving thoroughly about the Wolves’ team, let’s take a brief look at the biography of the NBA franchise.

Team InformationDetails
Founded1989
Owner(s)Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez
CityMinneapolis, Minnesota
NicknameWolves, T-Wolves
StadiumTarget Center
CapacityApproximately 19,000
ConferenceWestern
DivisionNorthwest
Head CoachChris Finch
Net WorthEstimated at $3.1 Billion

Minnesota Timberwolves History

The Minnesota Timberwolves made its debut in the NBA on November 3, 1989. However, for the upcoming years till 1995, there was not a single ounce of hope for the franchise. Later on, Kevin Garnett entered the team as the fifth overall pick in the league. It also traded the franchise first-round pick to the Golden State Warriors and got their forward, Tom Gugliotta. In 1996, the Wolves got Stephon Marbury as the new trade member. Garnett and Gugliotta were the first Wolves to enter the All-Star team.

Minnesota Timberwolves
Credits: Official Instagram account of @timberwolves

Ultimately, the Wolves lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, but the layout for the defeat was laid out in the second round of playoffs. Team’s Sam Cassell got a groin injury while doing his Big Balls dance. After Kevin Garnett was traded to the Boston Celtics in 2007, the Wolves went under a rebuilding phase. Around 2010, Kevin Love made some sparks in the league, but only after 2014, the Timberwolves started coming together. Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, and Karl-Anthony Towns(2015) blew life in the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 2020 first-draft pick Anthony Edwards and the 2022 trade for Rudy Gobert escalated the franchise’s strive for the championship. The 2023-24 season was one of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ best seasons after 2004, where their defense stood out as the top tier in the league.

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Minnesota Timberwolves Stats

The Timberwolves hold a record of 30 wins and 24 losses in the current 2024-25 NBA season. That’s why they stand third in the Northwest Division. The team’s offensive rating stands at 114.7, with a defensive rating of 110.8. Rudy Gobert, like always, has been dominating the area under the rim. Here is a breakdown of the Timberwolves’ prominent milestone during their 36-season streak within the league:

SeasonTeamWLW/L%PlayoffsCoachesTop WS
2023-24Minnesota Timberwolves5626.683Lost W. Conf. FinalsC. Finch (56-26)R. Gobert (11.6)
2022-23Minnesota Timberwolves4240.512Lost W. Conf. 1st Rnd.C. Finch (42-40)R. Gobert (7.8)
2021-22Minnesota Timberwolves4636.561Lost W. Conf. 1st Rnd.C. Finch (46-36)K. Towns (10.3)
2017-18Minnesota Timberwolves4735.573Lost W. Conf. 1st Rnd.T. Thibodeau (47-35)K. Towns (14.0)
2003-04Minnesota Timberwolves5824.707Lost W. Conf. FinalsF. Saunders (58-24)K. Garnett (18.3)
2002-03Minnesota Timberwolves5131.622Lost W. Conf. 1st Rnd.F. Saunders (51-31)K. Garnett (15.6)
2001-02Minnesota Timberwolves5032.610Lost W. Conf. 1st Rnd.F. Saunders (50-32)K. Garnett (12.8)
2000-01Minnesota Timberwolves4735.573Lost W. Conf. 1st Rnd.F. Saunders (47-35)K. Garnett (11.8)
1999-00Minnesota Timberwolves5032.610Lost W. Conf. 1st Rnd.F. Saunders (50-32)K. Garnett (11.6)
1998-99Minnesota Timberwolves2525.500Lost W. Conf. 1st Rnd.F. Saunders (25-25)K. Garnett (5.4)
1997-98Minnesota Timberwolves4537.549Lost W. Conf. 1st Rnd.F. Saunders (45-37)K. Garnett (9.6)
1996-97Minnesota Timberwolves4042.488Lost W. Conf. 1st Rnd.F. Saunders (40-42)K. Garnett (7.3)

Minnesota Timberwolves Famous Players

The Wolves have witnessed various iconic players throughout its history. We will discuss some of these famous players who splash in the NBA world.

Kevin Garnett

Kevin Garnett led the Minnesota Timberwolves to their most successful era, including eight consecutive playoff appearances and an NBA MVP award. In his 12 seasons with the franchise, Garnett appeared in 10 All-Star games. He also leads the franchise in terms of total points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, field goals made, and free throws.

Kevin Love

Kevin Love averaged 19.2 points and 12.2 rebounds per game over six seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He also ranks third in Timberwolves history for points scored and second for rebounds. He is currently leading the Wolves in the third spot in terms of rebounds.

Karl-Anthony Towns

He was drafted in 2015 by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Towns have been the anchor who led the franchise to the playoffs in 2018, 2022, and 2024. Recently in 2024, he earned the NBA All-Star title for the fourth time. Apart from being popular on-court, Karl is also known among fans for his activism on social justice. That’s why he earned the 2024 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion.

Anthony Edwards

He was the first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He has been a force to reckon with in the league since his debut. In the 2023-24 season, he dished out 25.9 points per game, becoming the third youngest player to score 6,000 points.

Anthony Edwards
Credits: Official Instagram account of @timberwolves

In 2023, during the playoffs, Edwards tallied 41 points in the first-round playoff game against the Denver Nuggets, breaking the Timberwolves’ previous playoff record. So, he has been quickly gaining the face of the league’s reputation. He is also the youngest player in NBA history to reach 1,000 made 3-pointers.

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Minnesota Timberwolves Roster

After treading so close to the NBA Finals in 2024, the Minnesota Timberwolves made a major change in their roster. The most prominent was Karl-Anthony Towns who was traded to New York Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. However, the Wolves took a chance with the former DPOY Rudy Gobert and offered him a veteran extension again. The prime need for the Wolves last offseason was a scoring wing.

They fulfilled that responsibility, but the team has a 30-24 record with just a 55.6% winning percentage. It is much less than the winning percentage that the franchise had in 2023-24. It was 68.3% last season, so there are assumptions that the franchise might not make it to the playoff run. Here is a breakdown of the roster currently:

NameNumberPositionAgeHeightWeightCollegeSalary
Nickeil Alexander-Walker99Shooting Guard261.96 m92 kgVirginia Tech$4,312,500
Jaylen Clark2222Guard231.93 m92 kgUCLA
Mike Conley1010Point Guard371.83 m79 kgOhio State$9,975,962
Donte DiVincenzo00Shooting Guard281.93 m92 kgVillanova$11,445,000
Rob Dillingham44Guard201.91 m79 kgKentucky$6,262,920
Anthony Edwards55Shooting Guard231.93 m102 kgGeorgia$42,176,400
Jesse Edwards1414Center242.13 m107 kgWest Virginia
Luka Garza5555Center262.08 m110 kgIowa$2,162,606
Rudy Gobert2727Center322.16 m117 kg$43,827,587
Joe Ingles77Shooting Guard372.03 m99 kg$2,087,519
Jaden McDaniels33Point Forward242.06 m83 kgWashington$23,017,242
Leonard Miller3333Forward212.08 m99 kg$1,891,857
Josh Minott88Forward222.03 m92 kgMemphis$2,019,699
Tristen Newton1313Guard231.96 m86 kgUConn
Julius Randle3030Point Forward302.06 m113 kgKentucky$33,073,920
Naz Reid1111Center252.06 m119 kgLSU$13,986,432
Terrence Shannon Jr.0000Guard-Forward241.98 m97 kgIllinois$2,546,640

Minnesota Timberwolves Head Coach

Chris Finch is the current head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves. He assumed his role as a coach on February 22, 2021. Before the Timberwolves reign, Finch was an Assistant Coach for the Toronto Raptors at the start of 2020-21 season. Before the Raptors, Chris Finch was an associate head coach for both the New Orleans Pelicans (2019-2020) and the Denver Nuggets (2016-2017). Coach Finch was also an Assistant Coach for Houston from 2011-2016. Before coaching in the NBA, Finch was the Head Coach of the NBA D-League team, Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2009-2011), and won the D-League Championship (2010).

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Minnesota Timberwolves Owner

The ownership of the Minnesota Timberwolves has been in a tug for the past five years. He put the majority of the team on sale in the Summer of 2020, and later on, in the Spring of 2021, Taylor announced a multistep sale to a group led by Marc Lore and his primary partner, Alex Rodriguez. In March 2024, Taylor opened to the public that he was voiding the purchase agreement based on the expiration of the option of Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez to acquire controlling interest in the Timberwolves and Lynx.

There were reports then that A-Rod and Marc Lore were having issues with money liquidity. However, Lore added Michael Bloomberg to his group of investors in June 2024, and after 8 months of that decision, the final verdict was delivered. On February 10, according to ESPN, the arbitrator’s panel gave the final decision in favor of Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez. Now, both of them will seek approval from the 30 NBA owners for pending ownership. Once both of them get a green flag there, they will be the new owners of the NBA franchise.

Minnesota Timberwolves Net Worth

According to Statista, the Minnesota Timberwolves had a net worth of $3.1 billion in 2024 after their another historic run to the Western Conference Finals after 20 long years. It was a 24 percent increase from the previous year’s net worth, which was $2.5 billion in 2023. After Anthony Edwards, the net worth of the Wolves has been surging a lot. Even in 2022, the Wolves had $1.67 billion, and it increased to $2.5 Billion.

According to Forbes, the current valuation of the NBA franchise comes from different streams. The first part of it is revenue, through which the Minnesota Timberwolves earned $305 million and $ 71 million through operating income. Another significant addition to their valuation is the income from the ticket gate receipts, which is worth $57 million.

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Minnesota Timberwolves Stadium

The Minnesota Timberwolves play their home games at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is one of the top arenas in the world in terms of guest visits since over 1 million guests visit the arena every year. It got a major renovation in 2017 with a $145 million budget that involved infrastructural improvements, guest experience enhancements, and aesthetic changes on all levels of the arena.  The renovation project was a joint venture between the Minnesota Timberwolves/Lynx, the City of Minneapolis, and AEG Facilities.

Minnesota Lynx Arena
Credits: Image taken from the official website of Minnesota Lynx

The stadium has a capacity of 18,798 for basketball games, while it can accommodate up to 20,500 people for concerts. Coming to the history part, it was opened in 1990. This facility is owned by the City of Minneapolis and managed privately by ASM Global. It is one of the best arenas to concretize since 35 members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have played Target Center in its history – including Minnesota music legends Prince and Bob Dylan.

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Minnesota Timberwolves Championships

The closest that the Minnesota Timberwolves have come to a championship happened only two times in the franchise’s history. First, it happened at the end of Kevin Garnett’s historic run with the franchise. In the 2004 Western Conference Finals, the Wolves were number one in the conference rankings. However, there were players like Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant on the other end, who were hell-bent on winning. The Lakers had the depth and the bench roster that gave them an extra six points in the sixth game, and the Los Angeles Lakers won that series by 4-2.

Another opportunity popped up last season in the 2024 Western Conference Finals when the Wolves faced the Dallas Mavericks. No doubt the Minnesota Timberwolves had Anthony Edwards and Karl Anthony-Towns in addition to Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels. However, they were not enough to stop the winning juggernaut of the Dallas Mavericks carried by players like Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, P.J. Washington, and Daniel Gafford. There was not even a glimmer of hope for the Wolves under intense pressure. Ultimately, the Mavericks took away the glory, winning the Western Conference Finals series by 4-1.

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Minnesota Timberwolves Records

The Minnesota Timberwolves are yearning for a championship, especially with the powerhouse roster that they have currently. However, they don’t have such titles. Rather, they have set records in their stint within the league that can be mentioned as follows:

RecordsStatistics
Most Wins in a Season58 wins during the 2003-2004 season
Longest Winning Streak11 consecutive games in the 2001-2002 season
Best Regular-Season Performance70.7% winning percentage in 2003-2004 season
Division ChampionshipOne(2004)

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