Two words. Naz Reed.
SLAM 251 featuring Naz Reed is available now.
Sixth Man of the Year is more than just a name at this point. Naz Reid has become a welcome addition to Minnesota Timberwolves fans outside of home games. It’s turned into a steady stream of car horns outside Parkway Pizza in Northeast Minneapolis, with the now famous “Honk If You Love Naz Reid” sign sitting outside. It turned the Target Center seats into a beach day in late March with Naz Reid towels. It has seen hundreds of yard signs plastered with his face scattered across lawns across the greater Minneapolis area.
A’s name is Danger the contest cat. It’s even a first tattoo for everyone from 18-year-old kids to 82-year-old grandmothers. Naz Reid has captivated the Timberwolves fan base and the greater NBA community. There is no explanation, no further details. This is the incarnation if you know, you know. And trust us, after this past season, everyone and their mom, and them mom, knows about naz reed’s rise.
But at first Naz didn’t think the ink was real.
After the Timberwolves routed the Denver Nuggets by 26 points in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals, which included 14 points, 5 boards, 4 blocks and 4 triples from the man himself, two lifelong Wolves fans and artists at Beloved Studios in Roseville, MN : , set the stage for the latest outpouring of community admiration.
Tattoo artist JC Stroebel on May 7th at 12:29 pm on Twitter “Would I tattoo ‘Naz Reed’ on someone for $20?” I’m very serious.”
Hundreds of requests followed.
“It was crazy. I think an 82-year-old lady was the first person I saw, and then the list just goes on, I think over 200,” Naz tells SLAM. “Until one day I was at the barber shop and two kids came in (and) my name was their first tattoo. So it was crazy to experience. Definitely super exciting! It’s something you obviously dream of as a kid, to have that kind of fan base and that excitement around your name is huge.”
From the back of the triceps to the lower thigh, just above the knee cap, that excitement is constantly displayed in Times New Roman font. The feeling was surreal, Naz said.
His name became a household name among small-market fans looking for a return to prominence. Yes, the Timberwolves have a bona fide superstar in Anthony Edwards with All-Stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert coloring the picture. But it’s the versatile 6-9 New Jersey native with the guard bag that has completely captured the hearts and minds of Timberwolves fans. And that’s why he’s on this cover.
Naz Reid is Minnesota’s unsung hero. Her quiet confidence is on full display as soon as she walks into the gym we rented in Las Vegas for her first SLAM cover shoot. Summer league games are just a few miles away, but Nazzy is suited up in his midnight blue and white Timberwolves threads with contrasting “Reverse Grinch” Kobe 6s on his feet as we cut through the files. He’s oblivious to the record-breaking 116-degree heat waiting just outside.
Reed is only the third player to win the Sixth Man of the Year award, joining John Starks and Darrell Armstrong, and the first Timberwolves player to receive the honor. His 13.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game on 41 percent three-point range weren’t just a fluke in years past. The 2023-24 season served as his arrival as a full force L.
“It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen, especially this past season, how far we’ve come in the Western Conference finals,” Nazz said of Minnesota’s culture. “It was crazy. We have posters everywhere, chalk everywhere on the ground. It’s super exciting. Definitely something we look forward to for years to come.”
If you were to really delve into why the Timberwolves fan base has such a deep-rooted love affair with the stoic 25-year-old, the overwhelming answer would likely be the relevance of his journey. And definitely the way he moves with the rock.
It’s the opening round of the Western Conference playoffs and the Wolves have a 17-point lead over the Phoenix Suns. With 9:53 left in the fourth quarter, Naz steals the loose ball and goes into transition. A duo of quick in-and-out dribbles follows, preventing Eric Gordon from confidently setting his back foot. As Naz completes the second step with the ball, he blasts it wide over his right shoulder, over Gordon’s head, in a fluid pro jumper. Time stands still for a moment as he puts it on his chest and Bradley Beal enters the scene to compete. Except this is Big Jelly we’re talking about. With ease and calming grace, Naz pulls her momentum to the left side of the basket and puts the ball on the glass and through the net with a clean right-handed backhand.
These routine basketball displays send the home crowd into a frenzy, but for the people of Asbury Park, NJ, they bring back memories of the days when Naz was cooking at Roselle Catholic and doing accents as an official member of the Jelly Fam.
“It’s just my wish. I’ve been doing this for a long, long time,” Naz says of his passing excellence. “I think Jersey boys are a lot more mobile than a lot of other people. We just come with a different kind of swag and game to any move we play. That’s just how we roll. You think of all the guards that have been in or near the NBA. You have Kyrie Irving, Isaiah Briscoe, Kyle Anderson; you have a lot of guys who are lively and move with a different kind of swag. I think it’s just how we roll and where we come from.”
Looking back on the days when high school phenoms ushered a new era into the cultural fabric of hoops, Naz now appreciates the impact of being surrounded by guys like Jahvon Quinerly, Atiba Taylor and Luther Muhammad. “Everything has definitely translated and moved from what it was then to where it is now,” Reid says.
Twenty-seven points, 6 rebounds and 7 threes in a mid-December game against Dallas. 31 steals and 11 boards on 75 percent shooting from the field against the Lakers in early April. Twenty-three points on 78 percent shooting from three in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.
From Roselle Catholic to Minneapolis, Naz blended the fluidity and pace of a point guard with the size and skills of a big stretch. He punishes smaller inconsistencies in the low post with surgical foot and hook strikes, while dusting slower opponents at the elbow. He cashes in on corner threes before his defender even knows he’s left the paint. And he thrives, absolutely thrives, in any position head coach Chris Finch puts him in.
“Last year we had lineups where I was 3. We had big lineups, so that’s something I’ve been working on and continue to work on,” Naz says. “Time will tell, but I can probably go 3, 4 or 5 in this league. So I’m just going to keep working on it and keep expanding my role.”
In that role as the first out of the pine, Naz posted the most consistent season of his career in 23-24. Fourteen 20-plus point performances in the regular season behind shooting from deep. And his defensive instincts began to shine. With No. 11 on the floor, the Timberwolves posted a league-best defensive rating of 107.9. In the infamous Game 2 that prompted a slew of tattoos, Nazi put on a defensive masterclass. In the first half alone, he stuffed Jamal Murray twice, then denied Nikola Jokic on a pair of shots.
Before the 23-24 season, Nazz signed a three-year, $42 million extension with the Timberwolves. The deal was the product of five intense years of work.
His remarkable ascension from Jersey to LSU wasn’t met with the enthusiasm you might expect when he set his sights on the NBA. After his lone season in Baton Rouge, the 6-9 forward went undrafted in 2019.
His 13.6 points and 7.2 rebounds that season were enough to earn SEC All-Freshman team honors, but the League wasn’t biting. Concerns surrounding his weight training and size were highlighted.
“It made me hungrier. It kind of went up, it kind of changed where I was fishing, now I’m fishing that spot,” Naz tells SLAM. “I was a top recruit in high school, a five-star, a McDonald’s All American, things like that, where I have to grind now to be in a position where I have to compete against others who are at high levels, who are drafted and of that nature. things. So (I) put myself in that perspective of just hunting.”
Over the past five seasons, Nazz has caught more minutes, more shots, more defensive assignments and more responsibility. He excelled in every role he appeared in. Getting to know the specifics—who he trains with, his routine, even when he goes to bed at night—all of his habits lean toward how things carry over into the next season. Consistency in his role, growing, “that’s the key to the sauce, to be honest.”
As a result, her fame, the outpouring of love and the appreciation she has received has reached another peak. From influencing an entire generation in the way they put the ball as a 17-year-old to building a cult following in his name in the League, Naz has dealt with many waves of fame over the years.
“I treat it like second hand, and whatever comes with me putting in the work I put in, I’m excited to have,” Naz says. “Obviously, I’m really humbled by it all. I think, as anyone at the professional level should, take it along with the bumps and bruises. Just keep being you and playing your game.”
Standing in front of a seamless blue backdrop that lets the aurora green of his shorts shine through, Naz holds the infamous “Naz Reid” towel across his back. That night on March 22 was his favorite from this past season. With 18,000 fans throwing out the towels all over the arena, the Naz dropped 18 points on the road and beat the Cavaliers by 13 points. “That moment was a moment when I had to really embrace it,” he says. “I haven’t really explained how much I appreciated that moment and how much it made me feel so excited and wanted and loved.”
So we asked him to expand on that appreciation, to speak directly to fans. From Naz to the Timberwolves fan base, NAZ REID the cat and those who carry his name in ink, this is his message.
“I appreciate each and every one of you guys. You guys have seen me come in and work since day one, from the two-way signing to now,” Naz says. “I think everybody knows how much work and dedication I’ve put in and (the) aspirations I’ve put in to get to where I am now. It won’t stop now. This is just the beginning.”
Portraits of Eric Isakson. Action photos via Getty Images.
