Why are Minnesota Timberwolves fans tattooing Naz Reid’s name on their bodies?
The Minnesota Timberwolves have exploded on to the playoff scene this year, and one of the main protagonists is their Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid.
Pain is temporary, but tattoos aren’t. That’s what many Minnesota fans are finding out after a body art craze has swept the state thanks to the Timberwolves Sixth Man of the Year, Naz Reid .
A Minnesota hero
The 6′10 center was already a fan favorite, even before he won the prestigious award for best bench player in the league this year. He’s a big man that can shoot the three, lock down on defense and run the break before finishing with a high flying slam that sends the Target Center ablaze.
Nazeron, as he is known by on his birth certificate, was an undrafted free agent out of LSU, that worked his way out of the G-League to the NBA and eventually would join the illustrious company of Manu Ginobli, Jamal Crawford and others when he was named the Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds this season.
His grit and grind has earned him the hearts of those who are die hard Wolves fans, and the casual basketball passer by. He is a soft spoken, hard working, underrated up and coming star and a huge piece of the puzzle that has led the Timberwolves to this point of the season. That’s why people in that region of the country identify with him, and that’s why many of those people are starting to tattoo his name on their body.
From towels to tats
Before the tattoo trend, there was a beach towel promotion at the Target Center where the team sold towels with his name on it but for those at Beloved Studios in Roseville, Minn, that wasn’t enough of a tribute. Tattoo artists and owners of the studio JC Stroebel and Jesse George have been Wolves fans for a long time, and they amplified the Naz Reid trend even further. The posted on X that anyone who feels inclined to permanently stamp the Sixth Man of the Year’s name on the body could do so for $20 following Minnesota’s Game 2 win over the defending champion, Denver Nuggets.
Since then, fans and followers of the team and trend have been flocking to Beloved Studios to join the Naz Reid fan permanent fan club. “We have people who are 18 years old all the way up to 82 years old and everything in between -- men, women, it doesn’t matter. It’s just people who have been fans of the Wolves their entire lives. People who have become fans of the Wolves in the last couple of years,” George said.
Reid was a pivotal part of the first two wins of the Western Conference Semis over the Nuggets, scoring 16 in Game 1 and 14 in Game 2, hitting 6/12 threes and putting the Wolves in a promising position to advance to the next round. Things have gone south for Minnesota and losing three straight and tonight they face elimination in Game 6 from the Target Center.
Naz Reid, who has caught wind of the news swirling around the state, says “It’s crazy. I love it. Keep it going.” The offer is only supposed to stand so long as the Wolves are in the playoffs, so the deal could end tonight, but not if Naz Reid has anything to say about it.