Minnesotans of all stripes are cashing in on Anthony Edwards’ cheeky tourism slogan

They were the three words heard ‘round the Land of 10,000 Lakes. When Charles Barkley mused that it’s been two decades since he last visited Minnesota during an after-game interview with Anthony Edwards, the 22-year-old shooting guard had three words for him.

“Bring ya ass,” Edwards said.

That was Sunday. In the three days since, that three-word, two-syllable phrase has seemingly taken over. And the marketing department for every Minnesota institution and business has kicked it into overdrive in an attempt to ride Edwards’ coattails. (Some of them too sheepish to spell out the full three-letter word at the end of the phrase.)

Here are some of the best:

Gov. Tim Walz officially named May 22, 2024, “Wolves Back Day.” Eagle-eyed observers noticed the official proclamation had a hidden message — the first letter of each sentence spells out Edwards’ three-word quip. Three days earlier, Walz winked at a Wolves fan urging him to adopt it as the state’s official travel slogan.

The Friends of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness took the opportunity to give away free stickers. The sign-up form also leads to a site where visitors can donate to the organization’s conservation efforts.

The state tourism board and Meet Minneapolis gave a nod to the slogan in their own social posts.

And the Minnesota State Fair used the hype to promote its Kickoff to Summer event, which runs Thursday through Saturday.

St. Paul Public Schools went with something a bit more wholesome — a bunch of students used Wolves mania as an opportunity to promote literacy by pushing their favorite Naz “Reads.”

Plenty of folks jumped at the opportunity to move some merchandise with the slogan. Here are a few of the most notable examples:

Sheletta Brundidge is drop-dead hilarious on her worst day. But the local radio personality outdid herself Wednesday when she released a public service announcement, including a video, that walks us through the accurate pronunciation of the state’s new travel slogan. Pro tip: Just think back to the last time you were tempted to say “yass queen.”

The Wolves now take on the Dallas Mavericks for a best-of-seven series to determine the Western Conference championship. They’ll play Games 1 and 2 at Target Center in Minneapolis before shifting to Texas for the next two games in the series.