The NBA postponed Saturday’s Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Golden State Warriors game in Minneapolis, citing public safety concerns after a tragic shooting incident.
On January 24, 2026, federal Border Patrol agents shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti, who was a Minneapolis resident and nurse. The chaos happened during an immigration enforcement operation in the city and shortly after it set off immediate protests and a heavy law enforcement presence in the area.
However, NBA rescheduled the game for Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET. The two teams already have another game scheduled in the same arena on Monday night, so they’ll end up playing back‑to‑back in Minneapolis.
But OutKick founder and commentator Clay Travis dropped a very controversial take on the league’s decision to cancel the game, comparing it to the NHL.
He wrote, “The NBA canceled its game in Minneapolis today because the league felt it wasn’t safe to play. The NHL is currently playing in Minneapolis and had zero issues with playing its game. The NBA’s decision was 100% political. Good for the NHL on playing,” Travis posted.
Travis allegedly framed the postponement as another example of the league’s “woke” politics under commissioner Adam Silver, tying it to broader criticisms of the NBA for playing in high-crime cities. But fans clapped back hard, confirming that the NBA and NHL venues aren’t in the same town.
Fans Shred Clay Travis Over False Equivalence in Sports Safety Row
Target Center sits in downtown Minneapolis, right in the zone affected by the shooting fallout. Meanwhile, Xcel Energy Center is in St. Paul, which is approximately about 10-12 miles away across the river. That area falls entirely under a separate police department. So, fans didn’t buy Travis’ wild, messy explanation.
One fan fired off, penning, “St. Paul, actually. Dipshit.”
Another called Travis out directly, adding, “Dipshit Clay, the willfully stupidest person on the entire internet, said the game is in Minneapolis in his post. It is not.”
A third went raw, writing, “A man was murdered you fuckin dumbass.”
A fourth defended the NBA’s call, noting, “The Wild play in St. Paul. Lie. I’d think you things would appreciate the NBA cancelling the game to not bring 20k additional people into the area and let ICE deal with the issue. But then you wouldn’t be able to complain, so I see why you don’t.”
A fifth labeled it propaganda, writing, “This post just shows how ignorant you are and how much you want to promote the horrific authoritarian propaganda as these stadiums are in VASTLY different places. #goaway #troll.”
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Travis’ track record of criticizing the NBA for being “woke” made his latest take unsurprising to detractors. But this time, basic facts undermined his argument before it left the gate since NBA’s call was all about logistics. Dumping 20,000 fans into a hot zone tied up with protests and limited cop availability wasn’t worth the risk.
