I am truly excited to see you here.
If you clicked on this (on purpose or by accident), then you are officially a Wolves sicko (lupo-phile?), a basketball sicko, or at the very least: my tribe of people.
I scoff when I hear Timberwolves fans declare they are “diehard Wolves fans” and try to prove their ball knowledge by naming off players like Oleksiy Pecherov, Jeff Adrien, or Gundars Vētra. Please. If you’re really from the most engrossed ilk of Wolves fans, then you’d pull some names from their development
team. Their summer league teams. Training camp rosters. Names that maybe never even donned a Wolves jersey, but they sure as hell tried.
Let’s begin by learning the Iowa Wolves history.
Well, you actually can’t know the Iowa Wolves history without first knowing the Iowa Energy history. The Energy were the affiliate for several other NBA teams during their inception, beginning with the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat. It wasn’t until the midway through the ‘16-‘17 season where the Timberwolves purchased the exclusive rights to the Energy and rebranded them as the Iowa Wolves.
Ipso facto, the Timberwolves technically own the history of the Energy, even if they weren’t always associated with Minnesota. Consider it the same as Los Angeles stealing five championships from Minneapolis. If they can enshrine George Mikan in bronze, then Iowa should be able to do the same for Curtis Stinson.
Speaking of legends, that brings us to why we’re here. I can understand why reading a 3,000+ word wall of text detailing the history of the Iowa Energy/Wolves may not be so palatable. So instead, I’ll throw readers a bone and instead give you an old school Bleacher Report style:
Top 5 Iowa Wolves Players: You won’t believe who’s number one!! 👀😱
There might be certain players you expect to see high on this list like Luka Garza, Nate Knight, or Craig Randall II (real ones know), but alas their stints with Iowa were but just a small handful of games, or less than two seasons. In the long Iowa Wolves history, they are but just brief sparkles in the franchise’s existence.
Let’s begin with the names!
Honorable Mentions
Michael Haynes | Stefhon Hannah | Shy Ely
*2011 G League finals stats
This trio, plus a player we’ll name later, formed the main supporting cast around league MVP Curtis Stinson during Iowa’s 2011 championship run. You would imagine he was flanked by former D-League MVPs in Othyus Jeffers and Courtney Sims, but both were not with the team during their magical postseason run.
Iowa has only ever achieved one G League title in their 19 season history. They did so in dramatic fashion, defeating the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Houston Rockets affiliate) by a final series score of 2-1. The Energy, led by future NBA Coach of the Year Nick Nurse, were down nine points near the end of the third quarter in game three, but they used a huge 21-5 run early in the fourth to claim control of the game. They did so even without their captain and best player, Stinson, who suffered an injury in the first half.
That’s three MVPs they were missing while being down heading into the fourth quarter.
Starting point guard Stefhon Hannah and backup guard Shy Ely, both who made the team via open tryouts, combined for 48 points to help Iowa close out the series. Starting power forward, Michael Haynes, was also a consistent force on both ends of the court, notching 21 points and five stocks in the final game as well.
Without this trinity of fine gentlemen, it’s likely Iowa never hoists the championship trophy.
Damien Wilkins | Luka Garza | Leonard Miller
*Iowa G League stats
These are three guys who all dominated in their short stints with Iowa, earning All-Star honors or recognitions as Player of the Month/Week along the way. They were so good that they all had opportunities with the Timberwolves main squad.
Damien Wilkins, the nephew of Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, was actually the uncommon player who actually spent nine years playing on various NBA teams before eventually finding himself in the G League at age 34. He joined Iowa for just one season in ‘14-‘15, earning All-Star and All-League 3rd Team honors in the process. However, he’ll be most known for his game-winner in game one of the ‘09-‘10 season for the Wolves. Minnesota was on track for 82-0 thanks to Wilkins, who played 80 games for Minnesota, even starting in 31 of them!
Man, what a bad team that was.
We all remember Luka Garza fondly. Garza-illa dominated the G League like he did in garbage time throughout his career. His 31.7 point per game career average with Iowa is the highest in franchise history of any player that participated in at least 10 games. The current Boston Celtic has had to grind his way to an opportunity with the big clubs, but boy did he earn it. He mostly got mop up duty during his 97-game career with the Timberwolves, but he still had a few bright spots in real games as well. Garza having been a local Iowa hero also helped bring crowds to their games.
Meanwhile, our prodigal son Leonard Miller will hopefully have a more consistent opportunity with the Chicago Bulls this upcoming season. He was fairly dominant in his time with Iowa across two seasons, earning a Player of the Month and two Performer of the Week honors. Lenny averaged nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds during his two seasons at Casey’s Center, quickly becoming fan favorite.
5. Cartier Martin
Seasons: 5
Games Played: 90
Iowa Statistics: 31.1 MIN | 16.5 PTS | 4.8 REB | 1.5 AST | 0.9 STL | 0.4 BLK | 44.8 FG% | 40.7 3P% | 79.6 FT%
Individual Accolades: 1x All-League 1st Team (2010), 1x All-League 3rd Team (2009), 2x All-Star (2009, 2010)
Cartier Martin kicks off our official list. The 6’7” forward spent four collegiate seasons at Kansas State, winning Big 12 Sixth Many of the Year, before declaring for the 2007 NBA draft (the Corey Brewer draft).
After all 30 teams passed on him, Martin went undrafted.
The Houston native found an opportunity overseas, like many undrafted players do. He spent his first professional season in the Turkish league, but quickly came back stateside. In the 2008 NBA D-League draft, the Iowa Energy picked him 15th overall, beginning his five season stint with the franchise. Martin was excellent right from the jump, averaging over 20 points per game for the Energy in his first season. He was named an All-Star and made the All-League 3rd team.
It’s likely that Cartier would’ve been higher on this list had he not gotten so many call-ups to NBA teams. Seven different teams signed him to 10-day contracts or better, limiting his ability to play full seasons in the G. In fact, he missed out on contributing to the aforementioned 2011 title run because he appeared in 52 games with the Washington Wizards. In total, he appeared in 240 NBA games compared to just 96 G League games.
Martin was almost an Iowa lifer though, had it not been for his brief six game stint with the Windy City Bulls to wrap up his time in the NBA/G League. Martin finished his career fourth all-time in both total points scored and free throws made, and third in three-pointers made in Iowa Wolves franchise history.
4. Moses Ehambe
Seasons: 3
Games Played: 105
Iowa Statistics: 27.2 MIN | 13.9 PTS | 3.2 REB | 0.9 AST | 2.0 STL | 0.2 BLK | 44.3 FG% | 42.9 3P% | 83.7 FT%
Individual Accolades: 1x champion (2011), 1x All-Star (2012), 1x Jason Collier Sportsmanship Award (2012)
The player that I teased earlier when discussing the core of the 2011 Iowa Energy championship roster was none other than Moses Ehambe. Moses was the starting small forward for Iowa who averaged 14.8 points in the regular season that year, but bumped that up to an astounding 24.7 points (8.6 3PA) on .500/.500/.929 splits in the three-game finals series.
Why might Ehambe’s mug or name look familiar to you?
Moses spent three years with the Timberwolves in various roles from 2023-2025. He was an assistant coach focusing on player development. He always brought his positive attitude and laughter to those around him, so it’s no surprise he won the G League Sportsmanship Award in 2012.
Ehambe ranks number one in total three-pointers made in Iowa franchise history (293) and with the way the league functions now, it’s unlikely anyone will ever touch that record. He is integral to telling the organization’s history and is an awesome story about winning both on and off the court. Moses is third all-time in games played for the Energy.
Now enjoy this very 2014 coded video by the Iowa Energy, commemorating when Ehambe (once) became the league’s top three-point shooter!
3. Courtney Sims
Seasons: 4
Games Played: 104
Iowa Statistics: 30.9 MIN | 17.8 PTS | 9.1 REB | 1.1 AST | 0.4 STL | 1.4 BLK | 58.3 FG% | 28.6 3P% | 74.1 FT%
Individual Accolades: 1x MVP (2009), 1x All-League 1st Team (2009), 2x All-Star (2009, 2011), 1x ASG MVP, 2x Player of the Month, 2x Performer of the Week
We’ve now arrived at the big three.
Checking in at number three on this list is Courtney Sims. The 6’11” undrafted center spent four years at University of Michigan, earning ‘03-‘04 Big Ten All-Freshman honors. Like Wilkins, Sims actually appeared in a real NBA game before ever joining the D-League. He played just a few garbage time games for the Indiana Pacers before ultimately landing with Iowa in their inaugural ‘07-‘08 roster.
Courtney was awesome right from the jump.
He averaged over 15 points in his rookie season, but really exploded in his sophomore year. Sims dominated the paint, beginning his next season with a 22/17/11 (blocks) triple-double. He had some cups of tea with the Suns and Knicks on 10-day contracts, but largely remained with Iowa where he played 32 games, averaging career-highs of 22.8 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game. He was named an All-Star, MVP of the All-Star Game, All-League 1st Team, and league MVP.
Unfortunately for Iowa, Sims played so well that New York called him up to wrap up the NBA season. Without their MVP and their defensive anchor, Iowa fell in the first round of the playoffs Dakota Wizards (now Santa Cruz Warriors). Speaking of guys, Dakota was led by classic Wolves summer league guy, Blake Ahearn.
Sims didn’t return back to Iowa until late January the following season, playing just a forgettable month before ending a short 14-game season with the Wolves. He bounced back in strong fashion in the ‘10-‘11 season for Iowa. Just like he did two seasons ago, he was terrific in the post, averaging 16.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game on his way to another All-Star (and ASG MVP) year.
2011 was the season that Iowa won the D-League championship, but also similar to 2009, Sims was once again absent. This time, he terminated his contract early for an opportunity to play in the Chinese Basketball Association with the Dongguan Leopards. Maybe he has some restaurant recommendations he can share with D’Angelo Russell.
And that’s how it all ended for the big man in Iowa.
Courtney Sims finished four seasons with the Energy with the following ranks in franchise history:
- 4th games played
- 3rd total minutes
- 3rd total wins
- 3rd total points
- 3rd total rebounds
- 1st total blocks
- 2nd offensive win shares
- 3rd defensive win shares
2. Othyus Jeffers
Seasons: 5
Games Played: 184
Iowa Statistics: 35.9 MIN | 19.1 PTS | 8.3 REB | 3.1 AST | 2.0 STL | 0.2 BLK | 50.2 FG% | 30.3 3P% | 72.8 FT%
Individual Accolades: 1x MVP (2014), 1x All-League 1st Team (2014), 1x All-League 2nd Team (2011), 2x All-Defensive 1st Team (2011, 2014), 1x All-Defensive 3rd Team (2013), 3x All-Star (2009, 2011, 2014), Rookie of the Year (2009), 1x Player of the Month, 3x Performer of the Week
Othyus Jeffers is on on my list of all-time player names. The stalky wing plays like one of those nightmare local YMCA matchups that you’ve likely come across. Built like a football player and plays with the aggressiveness of a football player. He will not let you have fun.
Jeffers is another classic case of an unheralded college player who started in community college and eventually made his way into the NCAA and NAIA. He had an extremely tough childhood growing up, losing multiple families due to gun violence in his hometown of Chicago. But Jeffers always kept his focus on his hoops. In his final season with Robert Morris University, he was named NAIA Player of the Year.
You may recognize Othyus’ name not just for its uniqueness, but because he played constantly vacillated between the G League and the NBA. As an undrafted player 2008, he signed multiple summer league, training camp, 10-day, and even multiple-year offers from teams like the Jazz, Spurs, Wizards, and the Wolves, totaling 37 games in the league.
But Iowa was always his basketball home.
He was drafted by the Energy in the third round of the 2008 D-League draft after his collegiate career, immediately producing 21.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game. Jeffers cruised to winning the D-League Rookie of the Year award. He was part of that division-leading ‘08-‘09 Iowa team, who lost Sims prior to the playoffs. Despite the single-game elimination loss, he still posted a wild stat line of 31 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, one steal, and two blocks on 72.2% shooting from the floor for Iowa. Weirdly enough, this was Jeffers’ only playoff appearance for Iowa due to future call-ups to the NBA.
Othyus spent some time playing overseas in Italy the following year before once again rejoining Iowa later in the season. As mentioned earlier, he wasn’t able to join his fellow Energy teammates in the postseason due to an opportunity with the Jazz in March that lasted all the way through the following preseason. He ultimately missed their final ‘10-‘11 season roster cut.
Here’s a clip of him dunking of Wolves legend, Lou Amundson.
Despite the tough cut, Iowa was happy to welcome back Othyus with open arms.
“Wolverine,” as his teammates had called him growing up due to his ability to quickly bounce back from injuries, was on track for another stellar season in the D-League. He helped lead the Energy to the number one division seed for the third straight year. Once again, he received another call up just before the D-League playoffs, this time with the Wizards. As such, Jeffers missed out on Iowa’s 2011 title run, but looked to have a promising opportunity with Washington at seemingly the peak of his powers. He was on track to receive a regular season contract after playing well for the Wizards, but heartbreakingly torn his ACL over the summer during a workout.
Jeffers spent a year rehabbing before joining — you guessed it — the Iowa Energy.
Wolverine certainly lost a step after a major injury like that, but he was still potent enough to make the All-Defensive Third Team. In 2013, the Timberwolves and Othyus finally crossed paths that summer as he joined their Las Vegas Summer League team. Unfortunately, just like three years ago, he narrowly lost out the battle for the final roster spot to Robbie Hummel.
Unphased by the cut, Jeffers was a man on a mission. He posted incredible season averages of 20.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.2 steals. Before he was named one of the co-MVPs of the ‘13-’14 D-League season, the Timberwolves called up Othyus for the remainder of the NBA season. This would be Othyus’ final run in the NBA and the G League, as he ultimately found his way to play in the Philippine Basketball Association to finish his pro career.
Jeffers’ name will always be synonymous with the Energy. He’s a tale of grit, dedication, and an unwavering belief in himself. Here are Wolverine’s impressive final franchise marks:
- 2nd games played
- 2nd total minutes
- 2nd total wins
- 1st total points
- 1st total rebounds
- 2nd total assists
- 2nd total steals
- 1st total free throws made
- 1st offensive win shares
- 2nd defensive win shares
1. Curtis Stinson
Seasons: 6
Games Played: 212
Iowa Statistics: 39.5 MIN | 15.1 PTS | 5.6 REB | 8.6 AST | 1.7 STL | 0.3 BLK | 46.2 FG% | 21.6 3P% | 76.9 FT%
Individual Accolades: 1x champion (2011), 1x MVP (2011), 2x All-League 1st Team (2010, 2011), 2x All-Star (2010, 2011), 2x Player of the Month, 4x Performer of the Week
Where do we begin with the man that has a name I’ve seen pop up as an auto-generated NBA2K NPC?
Curtis Stinson, a native of the Bronx, was a late bloomer to the game. He grew up in a time where his high school competition was future Wolves legend, Sebastian Telfair. While Telfair jumped straight to the league, Stinson instead found his opportunity playing for Iowa State University (I wonder if he was at that preseason game last week, booing Braden Smith?). A state that didn’t have any pro hoops there yet.
He was a standout right from the get-go.
Curtis was named Big 12 Rookie of the Year in 2004 and then enjoyed two more productive years with his best friend, Will Blalock. Both Stinson and Blalock led the Cyclones to the second round of the NCAA tournament, but bumped into the eventual champion North Carolina Tarheels in 2005. A year later, they both declared for the 2006 NBA draft.
Blalock was selected 60th overall by the Detroit Pistons.
Stinson went undrafted.
Just like the other names on this list, he spent his early pro years abroad. A quick walk in the park in Croatia. Then in Greece. His NBA career, despite having his D-League rights traded around before he even appeared in a single game, didn’t start until February 2008 with the Utah Flash (now Delaware Blue Coats). He spent just a month with Utah before being cut, then got a month with the Austin Toros (now Austin Spurs) before finally being traded to the Iowa Energy.
Casey’s Center, the home of the Iowa Energy, was just 30 minutes away from where Curtis got an opportunity to play college ball.
Beginning in the ‘08-‘09 season, Stinson hit the gas. He appeared in all 50 games for the Energy before losing in the first round in the aforementioned Dakota Wizards game, without then MVP teammate Courtney Sims.
Stinson really turned on the afterburners in the ensuing season, averaging a 15.2 point, 10.9 assist double-double throughout an All-Star and All-League 1st Team campaign. He nearly averaged a triple-double in Iowa’s postseason run, pushing Iowa to the second round without future MVP Othyus Jeffers.
The stars finally aligned in the ‘10-‘11 season where he had a career year. Curtis boasted 18.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 9.6 assists en route to winning league MVP. As spoiled above, Stinson was outrageous in the playoffs for Iowa. He was scoring 24.4 points per game on over 50% shooting without Sims nor Jeffers at his side.
Perhaps his candle burned too bright though.
Sadly, in the first half of the final game three of the 2011 finals against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the 27-year-old MVP went down with a hip injury at the start of the second quarter. He had just posted two straight triple-doubles in the first two games of the finals, but could hardly see the court in the ultimate game. He tried to power through the injury, managing 10 minutes the rest of the game, but couldn’t survive the final quarter as the game hung in the balance. His sacrifice was worthy, as he was still able celebrate the 2011 title thanks to his less-heralded teammates.
Till this day, that 2011 Iowa Energy title is the only championship that is associated with the Timberwolves organization, including summer league, In-Season Tournament, or NBA Finals.
As is commonplace in the G League, the Iowa team looked significantly different the next season. His recent play had earned him various opportunities around the world, but he also picked up a few injuries along the way. It wasn’t until January 2012 when he returned to Iowa. Without his star backcourt running mate Jeffers (injury) nor his head coach Nick Nurse, Stinson couldn’t hoist the Energy past the Los Angeles D-Fenders (now Coachella Valley Lakers) in the first round the the playoffs.
With 30 years of age on the horizon, Curtis would need to consider his shelf life in professional sports. He spent the ‘12-‘13 season away from Iowa, opting to go abroad for various leagues, but once again, all roads led back to Iowa for his final season in the NBA. He was longer in the tooth at this point, but still averaged 10.4 points and 7.1 assists for the Energy. Though they fell short in the postseason again, but Stinson once again showed up big to the tune of 23.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 8.0 assists. They poetically lost to the Vipers, headed by his former coach Nick Nurse, in the series 1-2.
Curtis never appeared in an official NBA regular season game despite appearing in six different summer league teams and three different G League teams. However, you can say his impact was far bigger than just trying to collect some garbage time in the NBA.
He is Mr. Iowa Energy.
“It is truly an honor to have my jersey retired by the Iowa Energy organization… I will never forget the amazing games, our great fans and of course the championship we brought to Des Moines in 2011.”
-Curtis Stinson
- 1st games played
- 1st total minutes
- 1st total wins
- 2nd total points
- 2nd total rebounds
- 1st total assists
- 1st total steals
- 1st total field goals made
- 2nd total free throws made
- 1st total triple-doubles
- 1st total double-doubles
- 3rd offensive win shares
- 1st defensive win shares
There are a few other names I could shoutout, but we’ve exceeded 4,000 words here.
Marcus “Gorgeous” Georges-Hunt has the highest points per game average (34.o) despite appearing in just one game in 2018. Amile Jefferson was the first player for the “Iowa Wolves era” team to win end of the season awards in that same year (All-League 2nd Team, All-Defensive 1st Team). Naz Reid is arguably the best player to have ever suited up for for Iowa in 2020. Current Iowa Wolf, Martez Brown, who was an open tryout player, has a chance to become the longest tenured “Iowa Wolves Era” player if he’s active for a full season.
Are there any names missing from this list?
I still have a few up my sleeve, but I’m curious to see if any of you true, nasty, sickos can guess who they are. Now go impress your significant others, friends, coworkers, random person at a sports bar with this new bag of knowledge.
