Minnesota embraces Anthony Edwards' NBA playoffs slogan
Minnesota embraces Anthony Edwards' NBA playoffs slogan
The Minnesota Timberwolves are in the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2004, and a new slogan is taking over the state.
The Timberwolves advanced to the round after defeating the Denver Nuggets in seven games. The series began with Minnesota fans tattooing Naz Reid's name on themselves after Game 2 and ended with Anthony Edwards creating another memorable trend after Game 7.
During a postgame interview on Sunday, TNT's Charles Barkley told Edwards he hadn't been to Minnesota in 20 years. Before he could ask for restaurant recommendations, Edwards told him: "Bring ya ass."
Since then, Minnesota has embraced the slogan. On Tuesday, the Timberwolves home arena, the Target Center, wrote the phrase on its JumboTron ahead of Game 1.
On Monday, comedian Jon Savitt, who grew up in Minnesota, revealed that he bought the domain bringyaass.com. The link now redirects visitors to the state's tourism website, exploreminnesota.com.
A section on the homepage that includes the slogan also links to a local travel guide.
On Wednesday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed a proclamation that established May 22 as "Wolves Back Day," for the first day of the Western Conference Finals. The first letter of each section after "WHEREAS" spells out "Bring Ya Ass."
Mueller Memorial, a funeral home and cremation service in St. Paul, added their own twist to the viral slogan on Wednesday.
Summer at the Fair, which begins this week, and the Minnesota Orchestra also chimed in, both sending invitations out to Barkley.
The Timberwolves open the Western Conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. It is the second time the two franchises will face each other in the postseason -- Dallas swept Minnesota in the best-of-five first round in 2002.