1989–90 Minnesota Timberwolves season

The 1989–90 NBA season was the Timberwolves' 1st season in the National Basketball Association. Nearly 30 years after the Lakers left for Los Angeles, California, the NBA returned to Minneapolis, Minnesota with an expansion team known as the "Minnesota Timberwolves". The Timberwolves, along with the Orlando Magic, joined the NBA in 1989. The team revealed a new primary logo of a blue wolf with green eyes in front of a silver basketball, and added new uniforms with the color scheme of blue, green 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. However, Mahorn never played for the T-Wolves due to a contract dispute, as he was later on 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 also hired Bill Musselman as their first ever head coach.

The T-Wolves made their 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 finally get their first win, beating the 76ers at home in overtime, 125–118 on November 10. At midseason, the team traded Lohaus to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Randy Breuer in January. However, the Timberwolves struggled in their first season, posting two nine-game losing streaks, finishing sixth place in the Midwest Division with a 22–60 record.

Campbell led the team in scoring averaging 23.2 points, contributing 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 per game, and Mitchell provided the team with 12.7 points and 5.8 rebounds. In addition, Richardson contributed 11.4 points, 6.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game, and was selected the NBA All-Rookie First Team, while Murphy provided with 8.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, and Lowe contributed 2.3 points and 4.2 assists per game, only shooting just .319 in field-goal percentage.

The team's primary logo and uniforms both remained in use until 1996.