Sometimes, things are bigger than basketball.
On Thursday, January 22nd, the Minnesota Timberwolves will be hosting their 2026 AAPI Night celebration leading up and into their game against the Chicago Bulls. In the wake of all that has been going on in the local Minneapolis community, it is crucial to hold spaces for communities of color to not only come together, but be celebrated.
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ASPIRE, the Wolves and Lynx Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Employee Resource Group, is kicking things off with a FREE pregame pop-up with the first Vietnamese coffee truck/shop, Càphin. The first 150 people to purchase a drink will receive a custom-made AAPI Timberwolves themed pin designed by a local Filipina artist, Lora Hlavsa.
Pre-Game Event Information
Pregame Pop-up
Date: Thursday, January 22, 2026
Time: 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. CT
Activities:
Rob Dillingham & Johnny Juzang-themed photo booth
Games for children (Pop-a-shot, Connect 4)
Mayhem Games’ Clapback – A party game of comedic comeback lines to help you stand up for yourself when someone tries to kick you down at your next family event, work meeting, or night on the town. Clapback is a collaboration between Mayhem Games and Funny Asian Women Kollective (FAWK).
As mentioned at the beginning of this piece, Lora Hlavsa is an artist who was born in Minnesota. Similar to myself, she grew up in Northern California in the Napa region (Less than 30 minutes where I was), but has since returned to her hometown of Minneapolis. She also has a direct connection to the Timberwolves, working as a production assistant back in the 2013-2014 season (The Pythagorean Champs!).
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The Wolves interviewed her earlier this week as she shared her story.
TW: There is a Filipino sun in the design. Why was that important to include?
LH: I am mixed. My mom is from the Philippines and my dad is from Minnesota. Being featured for AAPI Night, I wanted some visual sign of that. I am not trying to represent everyone. I am just representing myself and my experience. A lot of mixed people grow up feeling like they are both and neither at the same time. I want my work to help people feel seen, whether they share my background or not.
TW: What do you hope people feel when they see themselves in your work?
LH: Nobody is a monolith. AAPI is not one story. There are so many identities that will be in that building on that night. My hope is that someone sees something in the sweatshirt that feels familiar to them, even if it is small. And even if they do not connect to it culturally, they might just think, “That is cool. I want to wear that.” That matters too.
Steven Yeun, Lee Sung Jin and Ali Wong winners of Best New Scripted Series and Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series for “Beef,” pose in the press room at the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards held at the Santa Monica Pier on February 25, 2024 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
Speaking of Timberwolves connections, Emmy award winner Lee Sung Jin, a big Timberwolves fan himself, will be in attendance at Thursday’s game. Lee is most known for his work as the creator of the award-winning 2023 Netflix series, Beef, and he’ll be sharing a sneak peak at season two dropping April 16th. There’ll continue to be more acknowledgements and celebrations throughout the night at the Wolves game.
If you don’t have plans for Thursday and have the ability to come and join, I urge you to do so. You can get your tickets for the Bulls game as well by clicking here.