Minneapolis-St. Paul – The Minnesota Timberwolves begin a new chapter in their franchise history by unveiling a new team logo as part of Fan Appreciation Night at Target Center on Tuesday, April 11. The Wolves will conclude the home portion of their regular season schedule that evening by hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder at 7 p.m.
The logo will be unveiled during a special halftime show and all fans in attendance will receive a commemorative t-shirt with the new identity featured.
While the new identity won’t fully take effect until the 2017-18 season, the unveiling marks only the fourth identity in the franchise’s 28-year history. The announcement is also the beginning of an eventful summer as the Wolves brand continues to evolve. There will be several future announcements regarding the unveiling of the new team uniforms, new court designs and additional events throughout the coming months.
“We are incredibly excited to share the new logo with our fans. This is but the first of many changes that fans will see that reflect our growing relevancy at home and abroad,” said Timberwolves CEO Ethan Casson. “These are exciting times for our state and our franchise, and this new logo embodies the hunger, drive and passion that will define us in this new era of Timberwolves basketball.”
A video of Casson announcing the logo unveil and discussing the changes to come for the Timberwolves organization can be viewed here.
The new Wolves identity is constructed around an updated color palette and was created over the past 12 months as part of a collaborative effort between Minnesota Timberwolves ownership, team executives, the NBA and Mississippi-based design expert Rodney Richardson. Richardson’s resume includes recent identity designs for the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, New Orleans Pelicans, Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings and various brands across the world of sports and entertainment.
With this unveiling, the Timberwolves are entering an exciting new era. With new leadership on the court and in the boardroom, the franchise is poised for more significant changes in the coming months. Target Center’s renovation project, complete with new premium spaces, seating and concourse improvements, is expected to hit the finish line in time for the beginning of the 2017-18 season. The team’s limited partnership group now includes the first Chinese minority owner in major professional sports, John Jiang, in addition to New York real estate mogul Meyer Orbach. The franchise will also enter its first season with its new NBA G-League team in Des Moines.