2000–01 Minnesota Timberwolves season

The 2000–01 NBA season was the 12th season for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the National Basketball Association. After the tragic death of Malik Sealy, the Timberwolves scrambled to find a replacement for him, signing free agent Chauncey Billups, a close friend of Kevin Garnett, and signing LaPhonso Ellis during the off-season. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves secret free-agent deal signed by Joe Smith was voided by the NBA, who ruled their proper procedure in signing the contract, while stripping their first-round draft picks for the next five seasons and fined the team $3.5 million; Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, and General Manager Kevin McHale were both suspended for one year. Smith would later on sign a free-agent deal with the Detroit Pistons.

Despite the troubles, and losing four of their first six games of the regular season, the Timberwolves won 13 of their next 18 games, posted an 11-game winning streak between January and February, and held a 32–18 record at the All-Star break. At mid-season, the team signed free agent Felipe López, who was previously released by the Washington Wizards. The Timberwolves finished in fourth place in the Midwest Division with a 47–35 record, earned the #8 seed in the Western Conference, and qualified for the NBA playoffs for the fifth consecutive year.

Garnett averaged 22.0 points, 11.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.8 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, and to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. In addition, second-year star Wally Szczerbiak averaged 14.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while Terrell Brandon provided the team with 16.0 points, 7.5 assists and 2.1 steals per game, Anthony Peeler contributed 10.5 points per game, Billups contributed 9.3 points and 3.4 assists per game, and Ellis provided with 9.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game off the bench.

During the NBA All-Star weekend in Washington, D.C., Garnett was selected for the 2001 NBA All-Star Game, and Szczerbiak won the Most Valuable Player award in the NBA Rookie Challenge Game. Garnett finished in fifth place in Most Valuable Player voting with one first-place vote, and also finished in second place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, while Ellis finished in third place in Sixth Man of the Year voting.

However, in the Western Conference First Round of the 2001 NBA playoffs, the Timberwolves would lose in four games to the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs, losing in the opening round of the NBA playoffs for the fifth consecutive year. Following the season, Ellis signed as a free agent with the Miami Heat, and Tom Hammonds retired.