Popularized by Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, the phrase ‘Bring Ya A**’ was surreptitiously included in a proclamation by Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday before his team ruined Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the visiting Dallas Mavericks.
‘Bring Ya A**’ was Edwards’ way of inviting TNT’s Charles Barkley to the Land of 10,000 Lakes after Minnesota’s Western Conference Semifinals victory over the defending champion Denver Nuggets. When the NBA legend-turned-analyst confessed that he hadn’t been to Minnesota in 20 years, Edwards laughed and told Chuck to do just that.
But on Wednesday, before the Timberwolves’ 108-105 loss in Game 1, Walz posted a proclamation declaring it: “Wolves Comeback Day.”
Only for anyone who noticed the first letter of each paragraph, the proclamation contained a hidden message: ‘BRING NOW A**’.
Edwards’ viral response was also used by Minnesota’s tourism website as they prepared to host the first pair of games in the series.
The Mavs’ Kyrie Irving drives alongside the Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards on Wednesday night
Tim Walz snuck a hidden message into Wednesday’s Timberwolves proclamation
Anthony Edwards’ Viral Response to Charles Barkley Became Minnesota Tourism’s New Motto
The Minnesota tourism website made ‘bring ya a**’ its slogan after Edwards’ clip went viral.
On Monday, the Instagram page ExploreMinnesota posted photos of the city’s tourist attractions with “bring ya a**” written in all caps in the center.
‘Minnesota is ready for you basketball fans!’ Let’s go @timberwolves,’ he captioned the page.
Furthermore, one of the images became the poster for the website home page, which says: ‘Welcome to a state of possibility. Whether you’re planning a visit or thinking about moving, Minnesota is ready to welcome you. In other words… BRING A**.’ The tourism board also encoded the URL Bringyaa**.com to lead to its website.
Unfortunately, Minnesota’s most recent vacation ended in defeat, as Luka Doncic scored 15 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Mavericks to a 108-105 victory over the Timberwolves.
Kyrie Irving scored 24 of his 30 in the first half for the Mavericks, who trailed 102-98 after Edwards’ 3-pointer with 3:37 left before an 8-0 run that the Wolves didn’t stop until a missing kick. 10.5 seconds.
Jaden McDaniels had his third straight 20-plus-point game with 24 points for the Wolves, but Edwards, who earned his first All-NBA selection before the game on the second team, was stifled for 19 points in a team effort from the Mavericks. Karl-Anthony Towns needed a late explosion to reach 16 points and ended up making 6 of 20 field goals.
Both Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (left) and Charles Barkley (right) joined in the fun.
Luka Doncic scored 15 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter to lead Dallas to a 108-105 victory.
Edwards scored 19 points with 11 rebounds and eight assists in the Timberwolves’ loss.
The star power in this series is strong, and at least for the first night the Mavericks got what they needed from their leading duo, while the Wolves largely struggled to control the offense around theirs.
Dallas had a 62-38 advantage in points in the paint.
Towns came to life with a long jumper, a lob to Rudy Gobert for a slam and a 3-pointer in a 2-minute burst to give the Wolves the lead with 4:39 left en route to a 10-0 run . which Doncic finished with a triple. PJ Washington, who had 13 points and seven rebounds, scored from deep to put the Mavericks back in front with 1:56 left.
Towns thought he tied the game with a dunk on the next possession, but that was ruled out for basket interference.
Edwards, who was held scoreless in the third quarter, added 11 rebounds and eight assists.
Game two will be in Minneapolis on Friday night.