MINNEAPOLIS — To fully appreciate the Timberwolves historic playoff run you have to understand the history, the story of the team's humble beginnings, told by the team's very first President and CEO Bob Stein.
“I remember marching down to the Minneapolis Public Library in the days before personal computers so I could round up some data and statistics about the Twin Cities so we could make a pitch to the NBA,” Stein explains.
The Wolves original owners Harvey Ratner and Marv Wolfenson presented that pitch to the NBA Board of Governors in October of 1986.
“The market spoke well for itself as far as the financial ability and the proven fan support,” Stein explains.
“We had a team previously in the Lakers and the reason the Lakers left was not because of fan support. It was because they didn’t have a venue. The market was also bigger than most of the other markets we were going up against at the time.”
The NBA granted their request and decided to give Minnesota an NBA team.
The team was scheduled to join the league in 1989.
"Now I'm the dog the actually caught the bus,” Stein laughs. "Then it was where do you start? There's no guidebook on how to start a franchise."
Stein and his colleagues set out to find a name.
They narrowed down the list to two options, the Timberwolves or the Polars.
“The original owners went to North (Minneapolis) where they are the Polars. So, that’s where that name came from,” Stein explains.
The community eventually decided to go with the name ‘Timberwolves.’
The ownership group then created a color scheme and a logo for the team.
Then, came the difficult task of finding an arena.
The owners decided to build a new arena in downtown Minneapolis, but the building wouldn’t be ready in time for the regular season.
“We played our first season in the Metrodome,” Stein says.
“I remember walking in before our first game. It was set up in a basketball configuration and I started thinking wow. We’ve been working on this since 1986 and it’s actually here. It was just stunning to see.”
Stein says one of the most difficult tasks during that first year was finding the players to fill their roster.
He enlisted the help of several basketball experts because he admits he’s no basketball guru.
“I didn’t want to try and pretend to be a basketball expert when I wasn’t,” Stein explains.
Through the NBA draft and free agency Stein and his team selected the best players they could find.
The team also hired former Gopher Basketball head coach Bill Musselman to lead the team.
Heading into their first regular season Stein had realistic expectations for his team.
“We were not going to have a good team,” Stein laughs.
So, he decided to win over fans another way.
“Our philosophy was clear. I always asked our staff, ‘what business are we in?’ And the answer wasn’t the basketball business. We were in the sports entertainment business, to provide customer service,” Stein says.
That philosophy was the driving force behind Stein’s vision to hire the best employees he could find, even if they didn’t work in professional sports.
He and his team decided to focus on fan experiences, unique promotions and giveaways, and building community partnerships.
“That first year we were the 13th largest market in the country, but we were 3rd in the league in corporate sales. We had a great sales staff. Three or four of those employees went on to be Presidents and CEO’s or major sports teams. We were doing well off the court while our play on the court was struggling,” Stein says.
The team finished their inaugural season with 22 wins and 60 losses, which Stein says is actually pretty good for a 1st year expansion team.
To thank his staff, he and the owners decided to give everyone a special award.
“It was the Purple Heart Award we gave to every one of our employees. It said ‘congratulations for surviving the Timberwolves 1989 inaugural season,’” Stein laughs.
Yes, in sports Stein says you can't take yourself too seriously.
It is a game after all, and even though he's not a part of the team anymore, he's still a big fan at heart.
"We got a ‘Bring Ya Ass’ sign out on the lawn,” Stein laughs.
“I’m just excited to see where it is today. I’m very pleased to have been a part of it.”
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