If you follow sports in Minnesota, you realize quickly that athletes supporting athletes isn’t all that rare — especially if the Timberwolves are involved.
The Timberwolves showed their support for Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen on Sept. 23 at his annual Top Golf Tournament. Adam and his wife, Caitlin, have formed the Thielen Foundation, a foundation that aims at developing youth.
In attendance for the Wolves included Josh Okogie, Robert Covington, Jaylen Nowell, Noah Vonleh and Vice President of Basketball Development John Thomas.
“I think it’s big,” Okogie said of athletes supporting other athletes at the local level. “It makes me feel good when a couple of football guys are coming to watch us play basketball and so I definitely want to reciprocate that kind of thoughtfulness.”
Thielen has attended a number of Timberwolves games over the years. The two-time Pro Bowl wideout stopped by the Wolves’ bay a few times to catch up with the players. Next to the Wolves' bay were Vikings’ Pat Elflein, David Morgan and Garrett Bradbury.
It was a fun night, especially for Okogie, who has taken quite the liking to Top Golf. It started for him in Atlanta (Okogie grew up just east of Atlanta). And when he was a rookie last year, he wasn’t quite sure what Minnesota had to offer. So he went to Top Golf, which fittingly opened about the same time Okogie was drafted by the Wolves.
He was greeting employees at Top Golf and a few of them noted how much Okogie has improved.
“I think my form is getting better,” Okogie said. “I took a couple steps back when I was focusing on form because before I was just trying to hit it. . . Now my technique is getting better. Slowly, I’m progressing.”
One player who doesn’t need improvement (at least in the To Golf world) is Covington. Covington went bay to bay and challenged golfers to long drive contests. Covington hit the very back of the wall nearly every time and beat every person he went up against. He then went to the iron game to “show his versatility.” He wasn’t as good, but still pretty solid for a guy who probably doesn’t golf all that often.
Overall, it was a fun night for athletes in the community supporting each other and their passions.