1989–90 Minnesota Timberwolves season

The 1989–90 NBA season was the Timberwolves' first season in the National Basketball Association. Nearly 30 years after the Lakers left Minneapolis for Los Angeles, California, the NBA returned to Minnesota with an expansion team. The Orlando Magic also joined the NBA in 1989 via expansion. The team revealed their inaugural logo of a blue wolf with green eyes in front of a silver basketball, and uniforms with the color scheme of blue, green, white, and silver.

In the 1989 NBA Expansion Draft, the Timberwolves selected veteran players like Rick Mahorn, Tyrone Corbin, Steve Johnson, Brad Lohaus and Scott Roth. The team also signed free agents Tony Campbell, who won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1988 NBA Finals,  and rookie forward Sam Mitchell out of Mercer University; Mitchell was drafted by the Houston Rockets as a third-round draft pick in the 1985 NBA draft, but was released to free agency during the preseason, and previously played overseas in France and in the Continental Basketball Association. Other free agents included Tod Murphy, who previously played overseas in Spain, and Sidney Lowe. Mahorn never played for the T-Wolves due to a contract dispute and was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Timberwolves received the tenth overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft and selected point guard Pooh Richardson out of UCLA. The team hired Bill Musselman as their first head coach.

The Wolves made their regular season debut on November 3, 1989, losing to the Seattle SuperSonics, 106–94, on the road. Five days later they made their home debut at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, losing to the Chicago Bulls, 96–84. Just two nights later the T-Wolves would get their first win, defeating the 76ers in overtime, 125–118, on November 10. At midseason, the team traded Lohaus to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Randy Breuer. The Timberwolves struggled in their first season, posting two nine-game losing streaks, and finishing sixth place in the Midwest Division with a 22–60 record.

Campbell led the team in scoring, averaging 23.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game, and finishing in third place in Most Improved Player voting, while Corbin averaged 14.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.1 steals, with Mitchell providing 12.7 points and 5.8 rebounds. Rookie pick Pooh Richardson contributed 11.4 points, 6.8 assists, and 1.6 steals, and was selected the NBA All-Rookie First Team, while Lowe provided 11.7 points and 5.2 assists per game, and Murphy provided 8.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

The team's inaugural logo and uniforms remained in use through 1995.

NBA expansion draft
Prior to the 1989 NBA draft, the NBA held a coin toss between the Timberwolves and the other new expansion team, the Orlando Magic, to determine their order for the NBA draft and the expansion draft. The Magic won the coin toss and chose to have the first pick in the expansion draft and pick 11th in the NBA draft, while the Timberwolves picked second in the expansion draft and 10th in the NBA draft.

The previous season's expansion teams, the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat, were not involved in this year's expansion draft and did not lose any player.

Player statistics

 * Tony Campbell*
 * 82 || 81 || 38.6 ||style="background:#000000;color:#01A951;"| .457 ||style="background:#000000;color:#01A951;"| .167 || .787 || 5.5 || 2.6 || 1.4 || 0.4 ||style="background:#000000;color:#01A951;"| 23.2
 * Tyrone Corbin
 * 82 ||style="background:#000000;color:#01A951;"| 80 || 36.7 || .481 || .000 || .770 || 7.4 || 2.6 || 2.1 || 0.5 || 14.7
 * Sam Mitchell*
 * 80 || 30 || 30.2 || .446 || .000 || .768 || 5.8 || 1.1 ||style="background:#000000;color:#01A951;"| 0.8 || 0.7 || 12.7
 * Pooh Richardson
 * 82 || 48 || 31.5 || 461 || .277 || .589 || 2.6 || 6.8 || 1.6 || 0.3 || 11.4
 * Randy Breuer
 * 51 || 47 || 26.0 || .416 || .000 || .662 || 5.7 || 1.6 || 0.6 || 1.5 || 10.2
 * Tod Murphy
 * 82 || 59 || 30.4 || 471 || .372 || .709 || 6.9 || 1.3 || 0.9 || 0.7 || 8.3
 * Brad Lohaus
 * 28 || 24 || 21.1 || .465 || .063 || .808 || 3.9 || 2.2 || 0.5 || 0.8 || 7.5
 * Scott Roth
 * style="background:#000000;color:#01A951;"| 71 || 3 || 14.9 || .397 || .356 || .696 || 3.0 || 1.9 || .7 || .7 || 9.0
 * Adrian Branch*
 * 66 || 0 || 11.3 || .379 || 346 || .746 || 1.6 || 1.6 || 0.7 || 0.1 || 6.8
 * Donald Royal
 * 73 ||style="background:#000000;color:#01A951;"| 73 || 11.3 || .470 || .417 || .850 || 2.1 || 0.7 || 0.5 || 0.1 || 5.9
 * Brad Sellers
 * 14 || 0 || 8.1 || .469 || .000 || .557 || 5.2 || 1.5 || .8 ||style="background:#000000;color:#01A951;"| 2.0 || 8.8
 * Doug West
 * 52 || 0 || 7.3 || .517 || .000 || .763 || 3.0 || .4 || .3 || .5 || 5.5
 * Sidney Lowe*
 * 80 || 38 || 21.8 || .498 || .000 || .703 || 5.2 || 1.1 || .8 || .7 || 11.7
 * Gary Leonard
 * 22 || 0 || 5.8 || .468 || .440 ||style="background:#000000;color:#01A951;"| .883 || 2.8 ||style="background:#000000;color:#01A951;"| 5.4 || 1.2 || .1 || 11.8
 * Steve Johnson
 * 4 || 0 || 4.3 || .402 || .359 || .733 || 1.5 || 3.0 || .7 || .1 || 7.2
 * }
 * Brad Sellers
 * 14 || 0 || 8.1 || .469 || .000 || .557 || 5.2 || 1.5 || .8 ||style="background:#000000;color:#01A951;"| 2.0 || 8.8
 * Doug West
 * 52 || 0 || 7.3 || .517 || .000 || .763 || 3.0 || .4 || .3 || .5 || 5.5
 * Sidney Lowe*
 * 80 || 38 || 21.8 || .498 || .000 || .703 || 5.2 || 1.1 || .8 || .7 || 11.7
 * Gary Leonard
 * 22 || 0 || 5.8 || .468 || .440 ||style="background:#000000;color:#01A951;"| .883 || 2.8 ||style="background:#000000;color:#01A951;"| 5.4 || 1.2 || .1 || 11.8
 * Steve Johnson
 * 4 || 0 || 4.3 || .402 || .359 || .733 || 1.5 || 3.0 || .7 || .1 || 7.2
 * }
 * Steve Johnson
 * 4 || 0 || 4.3 || .402 || .359 || .733 || 1.5 || 3.0 || .7 || .1 || 7.2
 * }
 * }

* – Stats with the Timberwolves.

Awards and honors

 * Pooh Richardson, NBA All-Rookie Team