Heartwarming Story! Edwards’ Lucky Talisman: An orange bracelet changed the Timberwolves’ season?

G3 in the Western Conference Finals, Edwards efficiently scored 30 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, leading the Timberwolves to 42 points to defeat the Thunder, and tied the total score to 1-2. More and more fans are paying attention to the orange bracelet on Edwards' left wrist, which was a gift from 6-year-old leukemia child Luca Wright. Now, it's like Edwards' lucky charm, always with him. Timberwolves and team reporter Krawczynski reported this heartwarming story.

Luca from Michigan met Edwards and the team for the first time when the Timberwolves were at the lowest point in the season. "It means everything," Edwards said, "it means a lot to me." When Edwards first met Luca after his game against the Pistons in Detroit, he promised to wear the bracelet forever on the court. Since then, the Wrights have been receiving requests from Timberwolves fans for a rubber bracelet with the band "Love Like Luca" printed on it, and everyone is moved by the story of Luca and Edwards.

"We never thought Edwards would wear it and say 'Brother, I'll wear it for you,'" said Luca's mother, Lacey. "It's incredible. Luca watches games every day and loves Edwards so much, and talks about him every day."

For Luca, the encounter with the star and the team is "a life-changing." He has always loved basketball and fell in love with Michael Jordan after watching the original "Slam Dunk" and never missed any chance to play with his father.

"Basketball has survived everything with him," Lacey said. "It is something he has always been looking forward to to keep him strong. He may receive 8 hours of chemotherapy in the hospital and still shoot with his dad when he returns home. Basketball has always been very, very important to him."

The story began at the beginning of the year, when the well-known internet celebrity Drenioffsky launched an event to find children who love basketball in the Detroit area. A friend of Lesi's sister recommended Luka and told Dreniovsky: This child was obsessed with basketball, but was diagnosed with leukemia on December 21, 2023 (at the age of 5), and has embarked on a long and difficult road to treatment since then.

Dreniovsky contacted Lacey's sister and things went on quickly. On January 2, when Luka and his father Larry shopped at a local dollar tree store, Dreniovsky prepared a surprise for them: He asked Luka to choose $1,000 in cash or a mysterious basketball. As a hardcore fan, Luca chose basketball and received a sideline ticket to the Pistons against the Timberwolves two days later.

Timberwolves boss Rodriguez's girlfriend, Kordero, is friends with Dreniovsky and lives in the same area as the Wright family. After learning about the situation, she coordinated with Edwards' team and arranged a post-match meeting.

Lacey said the timing was right. If the game was a month earlier, Luca's body could not go at all - the treatment at that time had tortured his body.

"Sometimes he can't walk, can't get up," she said, "we had to carry him to the bathroom or help him dress." But by January, Luca entered the maintenance phase of treatment and had a good physical response. My parents knew that taking him to the game would not only heal his heart, but also give them a breath. They never thought that night would end with Luca giving away bracelets to the players in the Timberwolves locker room.

"It gave him a whole new motivation because he was so obsessed with basketball," Lacey said.

Although Luca longs to see the Timberwolves, the players may need to meet him more. At that time, the team had just lost 105-119 to the Pistons, suffered three consecutive losses, and their season record fell to 17 wins and 17 losses. This should have been a team that has come from the 2024 division final, but the performance at the beginning of the season was full of twists and turns and failed to meet people's expectations.

Edwards was particularly frustrated. He only made 16 shots against the Celtics on January 3, and after the game he said bluntly that he had lost his fun in the face of "defense against him and forcing him to pass the ball" - this is a warning to a player known for his enthusiasm on the court. It seems that in order to prove himself, he made 31 shots against the Pistons, hit 10 three-pointers, and scored 53 points, but he still couldn't escape the defeat. After the game, Luca waited for Edwards off the court. The latter let go of his frustration and came out of the locker room to meet Luca. Luca handed him the orange bracelet (orange is a symbolic color for leukemia prevention and control), and Edwards promised the boy when he put it on: "I will wear it for the rest of my life." Then, Edwards took Luca into the Timberwolves locker room and introduced him to everyone. At that time, Edwards was not the only one who fell into a trough: Randle was still looking for the offensive rhythm, Divinchenzo was adapting after switching from the Knicks' starting lineup to a substitute, and Conley couldn't find the shooting feel.

"That was a tough time in the season," Conley said. "We didn't play well, and everyone was depressed on the court for various reasons. But this kid and his family walked in and it was like a ball of energy coming in and the light was lit. You'll forget about the game for a while and focus on this kid."

Seeing a kid fighting a life-threatening disease, many Timberwolves players finally realized what was the most important. They smiled and shook hands with Luka, and asked for bracelets.

"I suddenly saw him walking into the locker room with Edwards and listening to his story," said Alexander Walker. "Life is too short to worry about a basketball game. When you see children with dreams, trying to do what normal children should do, and experiencing a heavier struggle than basketball, I was deeply touched and regained my original intention."

From that moment on, the Timberwolves soared to sixth in the Western Conference with a record of 32 wins and 16 losses, directly locking in the playoffs and avoiding the playoffs. During this period, they ranked fifth in offensive efficiency and sixth in defensive efficiency, with only the Thunder, the Cavaliers and the Celtics winning more games. In the first two rounds of the playoffs, they eliminated the Lakers and Warriors with two 4-1 scores, and advanced to the division finals for two consecutive years for the first time.

The Timberwolves found their form in the last 48 games, most of which were directly related to basketball: Randall returned to the right position after returning from injury, Conley gradually got into a better position, Divinchenzo became a tough offensive and defense guard on the bench, and coach Fincher also found the key to keep the team running.

But the NBA season was long and difficult. When I met Luca, the Timberwolves were not even at the mid-season and were still gritting their teeth and looking for the answer. Is this bracelet the starting point for a winning streak? Maybe not. But does the Timberwolves need a realistic alert? Absolutely needed.

"Let's play and enjoy the game," Conley remembers his thoughts at the time, "It's a dream job, a dream opportunity. This kid wants to be us one day and cherish it. Edwards always remembers this, and I think it inspired him and many other players."

Luca's encounter with the Timberwolves in Detroit is just the beginning of the story. Dreniovsky contacted the NBA to arrange a February trip to the San Francisco All-Star Game for Luca, who was surprised to see Edwards again at a press conference.

In the fifth round of the Timberwolves' second round against the Warriors, Luca visited the Timberwolves' home target center for the first time. He wore an Edwards jersey from the San Francisco All-Star Game and wide-edged sunglasses similar to Edwards.

"When I was shooting, his dad held him, and I didn't realize it until two or three minutes before the warm-up was over," Edwards said after the game where he scored 22 points and 12 assists and eliminated the Warriors. "He was so cool, wearing sunglasses, jersey, and that bracelet, and was so handsome tonight. Thanks Luca, I love Luca."

Timberwolves fans recognized him immediately. A group of people gathered around to pray for him and his father, hoping that Luca would recover soon, while Luca distributed it to all those who asked for the bracelet - a total of hundreds.

"It made him feel special," Lacey said. "Once he told me, 'Mom, I'm famous.' At that time, I thought, he realized that it all went beyond the meaning of 'seeing idols'."

As the Timberwolves moved forward in the playoffs, the craze grew. When LeBron James touched Edwards' wrist and bracelet were torn off in the first round against the Lakers, fans were worried online, fearing that he would lose the "lucky charm".

But don't worry: Edwards' best friend Maddox contacted the Wrights shortly after their first meeting and asked for as many spare bracelets as possible. They were placed on the Timberwolves’ bench just in case.

In a critical video playback at the end of the fourth game against the Lakers, the referee tried to determine whether James fouled Edwards' wrist before he touched the ball out of bounds. In the end, the referee determined that James was fouled, and the Timberwolves were able to retain the ball and won 116-113.

While the bracelet may not have affected the penalty, thousands of "amateur video analysts" on social media said they saw the bracelet move. In their eyes, this means that James must have touched Edwards's wrist. Many people know that it is Luca's bracelet. Like all contemporary children, Luca became confident when he saw his name and bracelet swing on social media.

"He is still very young, and I know he can understand this now, but it may take him to grow up to fully understand its meaning," said Lacey. "I think he will look back on the past in the future and say, "Wow, that's really special."

And this is the best news: Lacey said that at present, Luca will usher in a long and healthy life. His body responded well to the treatment, and the last treatment was scheduled for next February. Now he is playing teenage baseball, going to school normally, and living the life of an ordinary child as much as possible.

Now, many people hope that this bracelet can have a little magic left. In the Western Conference Finals, Edwards and the Timberwolves once fell behind the top-seeded Thunder 0-2, and were completely at a disadvantage in the first two games at Oklahoma City. They seem to need more power than basketball to turn the situation around, and Saturday’s third fight at the target center is the starting point. Will this 42-point victory become a turning point in the series?

Luca watches the game from afar while also meeting the important moment of his life: he will turn 7 next week and his family is preparing for a grand birthday party. Last year he was unable to hold a birthday party due to illness.

"So this year we're going to have a grand Timberwolves themed party. All this is really..." Mother Lacey choked up a little, "It's so cool."