Nazreon Hilton Reid ( ; born August 26, 1999) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the LSU Tigers. Reid won the

NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award The National Basketball Association's Sixth Man of the Year (colloquially known as the 6MOY) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the league's best performing player for his team coming ...

in 2024.

High school career

Reid grew up in

Asbury Park, New Jersey Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 15,188, a decr ...

with his mother, Anashia, and sisters Toraya and Jakahya. He attended Roselle Catholic High School. Following his senior season, in which he averaged 14.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game, Reid was invited to the 2018 McDonald's All-American Boys Game. During the game, he scored 15 points, had 11 rebounds, two assists, and one block while playing for 20 minutes. Reid scored 22 points as Roselle Catholic defeated Don Bosco Prep in the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions. During his high school career he was a member of the Jelly Fam, an internet movement focused around wild finger roll layups. Nicknamed "Big Jelly", he was known for playing like a big and flashy guard. He was the only member of the movement to make it to the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

. In January 2025, his high school retired his number - 5 - in a ceremony he and his Timberwolves teammates attended in the school gym in

Roselle, New Jersey Roselle ( ) is a borough located in Union County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 22,695, an increase of 1,610 (+7.6%) from the 2010 census count of 21,085, which in turn ref ...

Recruiting

Reid was a consensus 5-star recruit in high school, ranked the best power forward in New Jersey and the third-best power forward in the U.S., as well as the 22nd-best player in his class by 247 sports. On September 12, 2017, Reid committed to play college basketball at LSU (Louisiana State University), with his friend Matthew McMahon. Reid later said, "What drew me to the school is Coach Wade, ssistantCoach Greg Heiar, all the other coaches."

College career

Reid made his college debut on November 6, 2018, with 17 points and 6 rebounds in a 94–63 win over

Southeastern Louisiana University Southeastern Louisiana University (Southeastern) is a public university in Hammond, Louisiana. It was founded in 1925 by Linus A. Sims as Hammond Junior College. Sims succeeded in getting the campus moved to north Hammond in 1928, when it beca ...

. Three days later, he scored his season-high 29 points, along with 7 rebounds, and shooting 4–6 behind the arc. Throughout his freshman season, Reid averaged 13.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 0.9 assists. On April 3, 2019, he declared for the

2019 NBA draft The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible p ...

and hired an agent, foregoing his final three years of college eligibility.

Professional career

Minnesota Timberwolves (2019–present)

After going undrafted in the 2019 NBA draft, Reid signed with the

of the

(NBA) on July 5, 2019, on a

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless o ...

with the Timberwolves'

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

affiliate, the

Iowa Wolves The Iowa Wolves are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Des Moines, Iowa, and are affiliated with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves play their home games at the Wells Fargo Arena and compete in the Western ...

. Under that deal's terms, Reid would split time between Minnesota and Iowa. He also played for Minnesota in the 2019 NBA Summer League. On July 17, 2019, Reid signed a multi-year contract with the Timberwolves. He was assigned to the Timberwolves'

affiliate, the

, for opening night of the G League season. Reid made his NBA debut on December 8, 2019, scoring three points in a 125–142 loss to the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. On January 13, 2020, he scored a season-high 20 points in a 104–117 loss to the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

. On February 6, 2021, Reid scored a career-high 29 points, alongside six rebounds and two steals, in a 118–120 loss to the

. On January 2, 2022, Reid scored a season-high 23 points, alongside 11 rebounds, in a 103–108 loss to the Lakers. He was a key reserve on a Timberwolves team that qualified for their first postseason appearance since

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

. Reid made his first playoff appearance during the first round of the playoffs on April 16, recording two rebounds in a 130–117 Game 1 win over the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

. The Timberwolves lost to the Grizzlies in six games. On December 16, 2022, during his first start of the season, Reid scored a season-high 28 points and grabbed nine rebounds to help Minnesota to a 112–110 win over the Thunder. On February 1, 2023, he recorded 24 points, 13 rebounds and four assists in a 119–114 overtime win over the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

. On March 29, during a 107–100 loss to the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

, Reid suffered a left wrist injury in the fourth quarter. Two days later, the Timberwolves announced that he was diagnosed with a left

scaphoid fracture A scaphoid fracture is a bone fracture, break of the scaphoid bone in the wrist. Symptoms generally includes pain at the base of the thumb which is worse with use of the hand. The Anatomical snuff box, anatomic snuffbox is generally tender and sw ...

of his left wrist and would be out indefinitely. On June 25, 2023, Reid signed a three-year $42 million contract extension with the Timberwolves. The extension included a player option for the 2025–26 season. On March 8, 2024, Reid scored a career-high 34 points during a 113–104 loss against the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

. On April 24, 2024, he received the

Fan reception

Despite being the Timberwolves’ backup center, Reid has developed an unprecedented

cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...

in Minnesota. “His name is no longer just a name. It’s become a greeting among Wolves fans, something of a secret handshake,” writes the

Minnesota Star Tribune ''The Minnesota Star Tribune'', formerly the ''Minneapolis Star Tribune'', is an American daily newspaper based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As of 2023, it is Minnesota's largest newspaper and the seventh-largest in the United States by circula ...

. At a March 22, 2024 game, the Timberwolves gave away beach towels emblazoned with his name—they would later sell for more than $100 on

eBay eBay Inc. ( , often stylized as ebay) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that allows users to buy or view items via retail sales through online marketplaces and websites in 190 markets worldwide. ...

. During their 2024 playoff series against the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

, a tattoo artist in Roseville offered $20 tattoos of his name. Over 200 people took him up on it. Later that month, a local pizzeria went viral for their “Honk if you love Naz Reid” sign. A contestant on

Jeopardy! ''Jeopardy!'' is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin. The show is a quiz competition that reverses the traditional question-and-answer format of many quiz shows. Rather than being given questions, contestants are instead g ...

even revealed she had named her cat after him.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

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, 70 , , 15 , , 19.2 , , .523 , , .351 , , .693 , , 4.6 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 1.1 , , 11.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 6 , , 15.8 , , .489 , , .343 , , .765 , , 3.9 , , .9 , , .5 , , .9 , , 8.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 68 , , 11 , , 18.4 , , .537 , , .346 , , .677 , , 4.9 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .8 , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 14 , , 24.2 , , .477 , , .414 , , .736 , , 5.2 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .9 , , 13.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 17 , , 27.5 , , .462 , , .379 , , .776 , , 6.0 , , 2.3 , , .7 , , .9 , , 14.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 406 , , 74 , , 20.9 , , .487 , , .373 , , .728 , , 4.9 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , .9 , , 11.6

Playoffs

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2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

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, 5 , , 0 , , 10.8 , , .412 , , .429 , , 1.000 , , 2.8 , , .0 , , .2 , , 1.2 , , 4.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

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, 16 , , 0 , , 22.5 , , .458 , , .362 , , .710 , , 3.7 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .8 , , 11.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

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, 15 , , 0 , , 25.0 , , .509 , , .397 , , .760 , , 4.7 , , 1.7 , , .7 , , .9 , , 10.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 36 , , 0 , , 21.9 , , .476 , , .381 , , .762 , , 4.0 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .9 , , 9.9

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",

LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

, 34 , , 32 , , 27.2 , , .468 , , .333 , , .727 , , 7.2 , , .9 , , .7 , , .7 , , 13.6

References

External links

LSU Tigers bioUSA Basketball bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, Naz 1999 births Living people 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen American men's basketball players Basketball players from Monmouth County, New Jersey Iowa Wolves players LSU Tigers men's basketball players McDonald's High School All-Americans Minnesota Timberwolves players Power forwards Roselle Catholic High School alumni Sportspeople from Asbury Park, New Jersey Undrafted NBA players

High school career

Recruiting

College career

Professional career

Minnesota Timberwolves (2019–present)

Fan reception

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

College

References

Further reading

External links