Jaden McDaniels and the Minnesota Timberwolves put up a valiant attempt to knot up the Western Conference finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night, but fell just short and now sit on the brink of elimination. McDaniels scored 22 points in the 128-126 defeat, which was problematically more than the total posted by Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle combined.
The disappointment did not end after the final whistle as McDaniels had to answer questions from reporters about what went wrong—and wasn't even allowed to take a thirst-quenching drink on the way out.
McDaniels picked up a blue, electrolyte-heavy bottle from the podium and asked if he could take it for the road, only to be informed that no, that drink is for framing and branding purposes only. Not to rehydrate someone who just played 31 minutes of basketball.
Jaden McDaniels wanted the gatorade on the table but they wouldn't let him take it 😂 pic.twitter.com/SC6TmpHMd6
— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) May 27, 2025
Brutal. And kind of amazing that there isn't a second bottle handy to replace the first should a player want to take a drink. You'd think with as big of an operation as the NBA is there could be a drink in reserve as stand-in like some sort of Broadway play but, no.
Game 5 of the Western Conference finals is Wednesday night back in Oklahoma City. McDaniels and the Timberwolves will be looking for a more satisfying evening. The Thunder will be seeking a spot in the NBA Finals. The mouth waters.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jaden McDaniels Receives Sad Answer to Request to Take Drink from Postgame Podium.
