Chaska resident, former NBA guard and current Minnesota Timberwolves’ Assistant General Manager Fred Hoiberg will headline a program designed to raise awareness for congenital heart defects and the Adult Congenital Heart Association (ACHA).

The event, called Hearts & Hoops, will be held in Minneapolis, MN at NBA City restaurant located in the Target Center at 5 p.m., Monday, Oct. 22, according to an ACHA press release.

The cost is $30 in advance or $40 at the door. Call (612) 376-1441 for reservations.

Hoiberg, who played 10 seasons in the NBA for the Timberwolves (2003–05), Chicago Bulls (1999–2003) and Indiana Pacers (1995–99), retired from basketball nearly one year after undergoing successful heart surgery to correct an enlarged aortic root.

After his retirement, Hoiberg joined the Timberwolves front office as assistant general manager with responsibilities relating to both basketball and business operations.

“I was extremely lucky because I had no idea my particular condition had gotten as bad as it had,” stated Hoiberg, whose heart defect is known as coarctation of the aorta. “The lesson I learned is that people who are born with congenital heart defects have to stay on top of them because things can change without much warning.”

The event is being hosted by the ACHA, a national non-profit organization serving and supporting the more than one million adults with congenital heart defects, their families, and the medical community.

This inaugural event will bring together key decision makers to raise funds and promote awareness regarding the benefits of addressing the unmet needs of the long-term survivors of congenital heart defects, the release stated.

“Thousands of Minnesotans with congenital heart defects are not getting the specialized care that they need,” stated Tom Grady, ACHA board member and the event’s co-chair, in the press release.

“Our goal is to inform CHD patients – and their healthcare providers – that resources are available to them to help better manage their conditions.”