MINNEAPOLIS — The NBA expanded to 23 teams with the addition of the Dallas Mavericks for the 1980-81 season and there were indications that decade the league wanted more.

Marv Wolfenson had felt the void when the Minneapolis Lakers left here in 1960, and he convinced business partner Harvey Ratner to pursue a team.

Marv and Harv made an appointment with Don Fraser, the Minneapolis mayor, with this happy news.

"The mayor's comment after a 45-minute meeting was, 'Good luck in bringing back the NBA to Minneapolis, but there's nothing we can do to help you,' " said Bob Stein on Thursday, with a small laugh.

On April 22, 1987, the NBA announced four expansion sites: Charlotte and Miami for the 1988-89 season, Orlando and Minnesota for 1989-90 — each paying the kingly sum of $32.5 million to become part of the league. Stein — Gophers great, now a College Football Hall of Famer — was Wolfenson's son-in-law and would run the NBA expansion team in its early years.

Seven years later, with games being lost, coaches being fired and the business of the franchise being sunk by Marv and Harv's debt on their $73 million mortgage for the privately funded Target Center, a phone call was needed. The NBA had just rejected a proposed sale to New Orleans, keeping the Wolves in Minneapolis for at least another season, and a local group headed by Bill Sexton had been unable to seal a deal to buy the team.

Arne Carlson, Minnesota's Republican governor, dialed up Mankato businessman Glen Taylor in July 1994, long before anyone was placing the now-compulsory "billionaire" in front of Taylor's name.

"I got the call from Governor Carlson and, of course, because I had been the minority leader in the State Senate as a Republican, we knew each other well," Taylor said.

"He called me and said, 'Glen, we have a group of people that wants to buy the Timberwolves, they're dealing with Marv and Harv and the deal isn't getting done; you're a business guy and have been in politics … maybe you could help them get it done.'"

Taylor drove to Minneapolis, where he had to start off by introducing himself to Wolfenson, Ratner and Sexton.

...continued

©2024 StarTribune. Visit startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.