How did an orange bracelet save Edwards and the Timberwolves struggling for the season?

TA/Jon Krawczynski

Anthony Edwards's journey toward the stardom is full of symbolism.

The number 5 on his jersey is sacred to the Edwards family, in memory of his mother, Evette and grandmother Shirley: both died of cancer and passed away on the fifth day of the same month when he was 14 years old. His first signature sneakers, AE1 generation, is peach-like in color, symbolizing his hometown of Georgia and is also the favorite color of his grandmother Shirley. The adidas logo on the heel of the shoe is pink, which is his mother Evette's favorite color.

As the Timberwolves escaped their early-season struggles and entered the Western Conference Finals, fans of the team noticed a new logo on Edwards: he wore an orange bracelet on his left wrist.

The bracelet comes from a leukemia boy in Michigan, 6-year-old Luca Wright. During a trough match in January, the Timberwolves visited Detroit, where Edwards met Luca for the first time.

Edwards said: "This means a lot to me, and to me, this is the whole world." The bracelet has set off a wave of craze among Minnesota fans, and its appearance just coincides with the Timberwolves' record taking off. From the first team that struggled due to big offseason trades at the beginning of the season, it has transformed into a strong team with both net efficiency and record in the league.

On January 4, after the game against the Pistons, Edwards met Luca in Detroit and promised that he would wear this bracelet in the future. Since then, more and more Timberwolves fans have been moved by this story and asked the Wright family for the rubber bracelet with "Love Like Luca" printed on it.

Lucca's mother Lacey Wright said: "We never thought Edwards would wear it and then say to Luca, 'Little brother, I'll play for you. It's amazing, Luca has been watching the game and loves him very much. He talks about him every day."

For Luca, this encounter with a star and team he was not familiar with completely changed him. "It's really a turning point," Lacey said. He has always loved basketball. He was originally obsessed with Michael Jordan after watching the original "Slam Dunk", and he never missed the opportunity to play with his father.

Lacey said: "Basketball supports him through treatment, which gives him strength and expectations. He will receive eight hours of chemotherapy in the hospital and then go home and shoot with his dad. Basketball has always been very, very important to him."

This all started with a piece posted by Zachery Dereniowski, a well-known social media celebrity (ID on YouTube and Instagram is MDMotivator). He solicited children in the Detroit area who love basketball on social platforms. A friend of Luca's aunt nominated Luca and told Dereniowski about Luca's love for basketball and the long and difficult journey he has experienced since he was diagnosed with leukemia: Luca was diagnosed on December 21, 2023 at the age of 5.

Dereniowski then contacted Aunt Luca, and the matter quickly advanced. On January 2, he arranged a surprise while visiting a local Dollar Tree discount store with his father Larry. Dereniowski gives Luca two options: $1,000 in cash, or a "mysterious basketball." As a young basketball fan, Luca chose basketball without hesitation and won a big gift: two days later, the Pistons' sideline tickets to the Timberwolves.

Timberwolves owner Alex Rodriguez's girlfriend, Jaclyn Cordeiro, is friends with Dereniowski and lives in the area where the Wright family is located. When she learned about this, she contacted Edwards' team and arranged for Luca to meet Edwards after the game.

Lucca's mother Lacey said the game was just right. If the competition was a month earlier, Luca would not be able to cope with her travel. The treatment he received before had a huge blow to his body.

She said: "Sometimes he can't even walk, and he can't even stand up from the ground by himself. We have to carry him to the bathroom and help him dress."

But by January, Luca had entered the "rehabilitation stage" of treatment and her physical condition improved significantly. His parents knew that taking him to a game was not only an inspiration for Luca, but also a spiritual comfort for their whole family.

They had never expected that that night would end with Luca walking into the Timberwolves locker room and distributing bracelets to the players.

Lucca's mother Lacey said: "This completely ignited another fire in his heart because he is really obsessed with basketball."

Although Luca is very eager to see the Timberwolves players, perhaps players need to see Luca even more. Before that, the Timberwolves had just lost to the Pistons 105-119, and suffered three consecutive losses, with a record of 17 wins and 17 losses. The team's season was full of ups and downs at the time, completely different from what they expected to reach the 2024 Western Conference Finals last season.

Edwards was very upset at the time. In the game against the Celtics on January 2, he only made 16 shots. After the game, he said that he had "no fun" when facing constant double-teaming and defensive pressure. For a player known for his energy and enthusiasm on the court, such a statement is worrying.

In order to prove himself, Edwards made 31 crazy shots against the Pistons, hitting 10 three-pointers and scoring 53 points. But the team still lost completely.

Luca waited to see Edwards after the game. Despite his downturn, Edwards let go of his frustration and walked out of the locker room to meet Luca. Luca gave him an orange bracelet - orange is the representative color of attention to leukemia. They looked obviously at a disadvantage in two games at Oklahoma City, and now they almost need some strength beyond the basketball itself to lead them back to the series, and a big win by G3 at the center of the target seemed to have put the magic into effect.

Luca will be watching the game from afar, and he has also ushered in an important moment: he will turn 7 next week and the whole family is preparing for a grand birthday party. He was too weak to celebrate his birthday last year.

Lacey choked up in front of the camera and said, "So this year he can finally have a good birthday. It's a Timberwolves-themed party. It's really... it's really cool."