Raimund (Ray) Ruther often gets asked about the Wolves logo tattooed on his right shoulder, and it’s not uncommon for him to be referred to as the “Timberwolves guy.”
“Tattoos are an expression of the soul,” Ruther explained. “It was a logical consequence–I needed the Timberwolves under my skin.”
Ruther spends a good amount of time ribbing his friends, most of whom actively support the Mavericks. But if you’re thinking this misplaced fan lives in Dallas, you’re mistaken. Ruther lives in Soest, Germany.
While most German NBA fans sport Dirk Nowitzki jerseys, Ruther instead rotates through his Minnesota apparel. From Wally Szczerbiak to Kevin Garnett to this year’s No. 1 Draft pick Karl-Anthony Towns, Ruther has a special place in his heart for numerous Wolves players through the years.
How did an International basketball fan identify the Timberwolves as his team of choice? For Ruther, it all started during the Christian Laettner era. Ruther’s close friend started playing basketball as a high school sophomore, generating more interest in the sport; due to Michael Jordan and the Bulls’ success at the time, many young athletes followed the Chicago team religiously.
When Ruther saw a newspaper reporting that Minnesota had defeated the Bulls in a game, he told his friend that “Timberwolves” was a much better name and began casually keeping tabs on the Midwest team. Ruther started playing basketball himself the following year, and he discovered that Laettner held a roster spot with the 1992 Dream Team–that sealed the deal.
“This was a sign for me,” Ruther said. “Since then, I was a Timberwolves fan. The next year we drafted J.R. Rider, and I was very much a fan of his game. I always liked his outlaw style.”
Ruther purchased Laettner and Rider jerseys, quickly becoming the dedicated fan he is today. While it’s now easy to keep up with the team via the Internet, in the 90s it was much harder to closely follow the Wolves from Germany. Ruther persisted, though, collecting trading cards and NBA magazines to soak up the sport any way he could.
For almost 25 years, Ruther supported his team from overseas. During the 2014 season, he took the trip of a lifetime and traveled to Minnesota to see the Wolves in person. Ruther visited the Target Center for the first time and attended three home games against the Spurs, Bulls and Rockets. While the Spurs game proved memorable as the first, the latter two games created particularly special memories for Ruther.
All Wolves fans–and NBA fans in general–will remember the April 11 game against Houston. That night, forward Corey Brewer exploded on offense, finishing the game with an incredible 51 points. Ruther still feels lucky to have witnessed one of his favorite all-time players post a career game.
“I bought tickets to the second row, and we sat right behind the Rockets’ broadcasters,” he said. “They celebrated right before our eyes. I will never forget that moment.”
There may not have been any 51-point performances against Chicago, but Ruther will always remember seeing a game with his long-distance friend–and fellow Timberwolves fan–Godwin Alaike.
The two became friends through an interesting chain of events in 2013. Alaike decided to sell his Wally Sczerbiak jersey on eBay, and Ruther jumped at the chance. Shortly after Ruther sent payment, Alaike noticed a small stain on the fabric and reached out to the German fan to see if he still wanted to complete the purchase. He did.
Ruther and Alaike started emailing about their mutual love for the Wolves, and soon the correspondence became a Facebook friendship.
Alaike admits he felt initially skeptical when he first “met” Ruther online. After all, to find a fan who not only loved Szczerbiak as much as he did but who lived overseas and wanted to correspond over social media seemed a bit far-fetched.
“I waited about a week or so to ‘accept’ this German basketball fan/eBay customer’s Facebook friend request,” Alaike said. “I was surprised to meet someone that was more of a diehard Timberwolves fan than [most] actual Minnesotan fans, including myself.”
The two hit it off, however, and Ruther could think of no one he would rather see a game with during his U.S. visit than his new friend Alaike.
Ruther spent time with Alaike and his friends at Gluek’s Bar and Restaurant in Minneapolis before taking in the Bulls game together. Both agreed later that it felt like spending time with old friends, despite the fact they had just met in person for the first time.
“Attending a Wolves game with Ray was like hanging out with your best friend you haven’t seen in a while,” Alaike said. “We talked X’s and O’s, NBA history and traded personal stories about our favorite Timberwolves moments […] This was the first time I realized two things: Basketball truly is a global language, and Ray really is my brother from another mother.”
Ruther and Alaike stay in regular contact with each other, and they love to discuss their shared fandom for the Wolves and especially the 2015-16 roster and season outlook. Ruther’s favorite player is Kevin Garnett, and he joins thousands of Wolves fans in the excitement of having him back in Minnesota to end his career.
“I love [Garnett’s] attitude for the game and the intensity of his play,” Ruther said of No. 21.
He appreciates the mix of young players and veterans on this year’s squad, especially since he’s been a fan of Andre Miller and Tayshaun Prince even before they donned the Wolves uniform. To Ruther, it’s invaluable to have such established, experienced players mentoring and teaching the rookies in practice.
Finally, Ruther views the 2015-16 season as one in which “the plan of Flip [Saunders] comes together.” The long-time fan is mourning the loss of Minnesota’s head coach along with so many others, and he feels it’s significant to see (1) the carefully picked roster, (2) Mayo Clinic Square and (3) a Target Center renovation plan all converging this year. Ruther echoed the masses in saying the following:
“[Flip] was the father of this team and the heart of the organization […] He was just a basketball genius. Of course I didn’t know him as a person, but the picture from KG in [Flip’s] parking space tells everything.”
The #ForFlip hashtag has gone international, and Ruther promises to persist in growing the Timberwolves fan base in Germany, even more so during this special season dedicated to Saunders.
One way Ruther works to gain Timberwolves supporters is through social media. In 2014, Ruther contacted Don Ackerman, an administrator of the TWolves Army fan group. Ackerman has a reputation for helping fans connect with each other, and he was happy to meet Ruther during his visit to the U.S. With the help of his second Minnesota friend, Ruther started the @TWolvesArmyGE Twitter page to engage other German fans.
Ruther hopes to make additional trips to Minnesota to watch his team succeed in person. If you’re at a game this season and see a friendly fan with a German accent and a Wolves tattoo … make sure you say “Hallo.”
