It was a somber evening in Minneapolis on Monday, as the Timberwolves held their home opener at without coach Flip Saunders, who passed away last week at the too-young age of 60.
Saunders, having played at the University of Minnesota, coached a local JUCO team and in the middle of his second stint with the team as president and head coach, was one of the state’s most beloved sports figures. The Wolves opened the 2015-16 season just three days after he passed away and opened their home schedule on Monday, two days after funeral and memorial services were held. Prior to hosting Portland, the team held a brief ceremony that included a tribute video and one of the saddest renditions of “Hallelujah” you will ever hear.
Here is the video portion of the emotional pregame tribute:
A video tribute that was shown to an incredible Target Center crowd, featuring the players memories of Flip #ForFlip
https://t.co/aPh9oVtOji
— Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) November 3, 2015