If you're moving and downsizing after being in a home for many years, you have a garage sale. And apparently if you're an NBA organization with a quarter-century worth of old memorabilia to clear out before a big move, you do the same thing.
Wolves, Lynx garage sale has some gems
May 19, 2015 at 12:32PM
The Timberwolves and Lynx are preparing to move into posh new digs a skyway away from Target Center in the old Block E space. Before they leave they're selling an eclectic mix of more than 5,000 old photos, basketballs, bobbleheads and more to anyone with a little extra cash and a nostalgic heart.
The sale runs from 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday on the skyway level of Target Center, with proceeds benefiting the Wolves and Lynx Foundations. On Monday, they offered up a sneak peak — and just like any good garage sale, there were treasures to be found among the oddities and cardboard boxes.
"Once people really started going through what was in closets and what was in storage, we discovered a lot more than we probably thought we would," said Brad Ruiter, the Wolves' vice president of communications.
Among the highlights (admittedly, I enjoyed a lot of the kitschy things from the Wolves' uneven history):
• A framed poster of the 2003-04 Timberwolves — the best team in franchise history — with autographs from each player.
• Mark Madsen nesting dolls. This oddly popular item from yesteryear is a must-have because really: the only thing better than one Mark Madsen doll is several Mark Madsen dolls.
• A Ricky Davis action figure. If this isn't reason enough to get your butt to the skyway at 7 a.m. on a Tuesday, I don't know what is.
• A mini basketball autographed by Darko Milicic. The signature is so illegible that it was hard to tell which way is right side up, but Wolves staff assured me it was his signature.
• A giant screen-printed sign (at least 5 feet by 5 feet) of Lynx star Maya Moore, celebrating when she was drafted No. 1 overall in 2011.
• Unused playoff tickets from 1997 (the first year the Wolves reached the postseason), including a strip just in case they made it to the NBA Finals (they did not, nor have they ever).
While exact pricing for some items hadn't been decided yet (it had a bit of a last-minute feel Monday, as any good moving sale should), there was a $1 table and a $3 table already filling up with items.
"It's going to be just like your standard garage sale where you can get some really good deals on stuff," Ruiter said. "You won't go broke here."
Michael Rand
The Wolves are coming off back-to-back losses in Portland and are on a three-game losing streak.
