Naz Reid got the ball In the second quarter of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. The fan-favorite wasted no time, charging in from the three-point line and attacking the rim.
Center Ibou Baji was Portland’s last line of defense, but by that time it was too late. Reid was cleared for takeoff and launched for a two-handed slam that sent the Target Center crowd into a frenzy.
ON HIS HEAD 🤯#RaisedByWolves | #NBA pic.twitter.com/lodw6p1d2i
— FanDuel Sports Network North (@FanDuelSN_NOR) January 13, 2024
Reid’s dunk was nothing out of the ordinary as the Minnesota Timberwolves have dunked on plenty of people on the way to the top of the Western Conference. But if you looked at the bench, you would notice something is a little different.
The Timberwolves have begun celebrating their dunks by having the entire bench point at the player getting dunked on. The celebration has started to go viral and was brought to the attention of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns after the game.
I like this trend pic.twitter.com/EBuQLLyMMx
— All Things Wolves (@AIIThingsWolves) January 13, 2024
“It’s definitely one of the best jokes on the team,” Towns said while grinning from ear to ear.
After Towns’s response, Gobert asked Sneaker Reporter’s Travis Singleton what he thought of the celebration, which triggered another glowing review.
“I think it’s cool,” Singleton said. “Because when the person is running back, their head is down because they don’t want to see y’all pointing at them.”
The origin of the celebration can be traced back to reserve guard Daishen Nix, who signed a two-way deal with the Timberwolves on Oct. 20. After spending the first two months between Minnesota and the Timberwolves’ G-League affiliate in Iowa, Nix was promoted to the main roster on Christmas Day.
Nix hasn’t played in a game since his latest promotion but has made an impact, pointing at Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun after Gobert’s dunk in the first quarter of a 122-95 victory on Jan. 5.
The celebration has taken off since Nix’s spontaneous act in Houston, with the whole bench getting involved after Towns’s dunk in Orlando on Tuesday night and a third-quarter dunk in Friday’s win over the Trail Blazers.
𝗣𝗨𝗧 𝗛𝗜𝗠 𝗢𝗡 𝗔 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥 😱#RaisedByWolves | #NBA pic.twitter.com/NS5VQCWbFC
— FanDuel Sports Network North (@FanDuelSN_NOR) January 10, 2024
KAT WITH THE HAMMER 🔨#RaisedByWolves | #NBA pic.twitter.com/ZgR4pEGVJZ
— FanDuel Sports Network North (@FanDuelSN_NOR) January 13, 2024
Like many celebrations, it’s interesting to wonder where it could go from here as one X user suggested the entire Target Center crowd could start pointing. Whatever it is, things like this come with one of the best seasons the Timberwolves have had over the past 20 years.
