Over 1,000 Timberwolves Fans Got ‘Naz Reid’ Tattoos for $20. He Got Traded. Now What?

On the morning of June 25, Jesse George, a tattoo artist in the Twin Cities, woke up to a stunning notification on his phone.

A report from ESPN’s Shams Charania indicated the Timberwolves were trading Naz Reid to the Hornets in a package for LaMelo Ball. The Wolves were parting ways with Reid, the 6'9" sharpshooting big man who evolved from an undrafted afterthought into the 2024 NBA Sixth Man of the Year and one of the most beloved figures in franchise history.

Two years ago, George and his buddy JC Stroebel started a trend by inking $20 Naz Reid tattoos on oodles of fans during the Timberwolves’ run to the 2024 Western Conference finals. To this day, they’re known as the “Naz Reid Tattoo Guys.”

For George, a lifelong Timberwolves fan, there was plenty to process from the trade—both on and off the court. Later that day, he was scheduled to host a consulting appointment with a client who wanted some Minneapolis-themed ink that included a “Naz Reid” tattoo.

What would George and those loads of Timberwolves fans with Naz Reid tattoos do now that the big man was Charlotte bound?

The phenomenon of the Naz Reid tattoo all started with one impromptu tweet.

Back on May 6, 2024, the Timberwolves mauled the Nuggets 106–80 to take a 2–0 series lead in the Western Conference semifinals. Reid, who was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year a few weeks prior, went off for 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting from downtown. Stroebel then had an idea.

“In the heat of the moment and the hype of what was going on, I just very willy-nilly tweeted out, ‘I will tattoo Naz Reid on anyone for $20.’ Thinking, dude, who’s actually going to get a Naz Reid tattoo?” Stroebel told Sports Illustrated back in 2024.

Will tattoo “Naz Reid” on anyone for $20

I’m dead serious
— Wolves Enjoyer (@john_chuck) May 7, 2024

That tweet immediately went viral, and Stroebel and George—who at the time had recently finished up their tattoo apprenticeships—scrambled to get organized and ink “Naz Reid” on hundreds if not thousands of fans who strolled through the doors of Beloved Studios in Roseville, Minn., over the coming weeks, months and years.

Ryan Turnquist was one of those many Wolves fans who inked his body with the words “Naz Reid” two years ago.

“It’s not all about the name,” Turnquist told SI of his decision to get the tattoo. “I love Naz. It’s about what Naz represents. It’s more about being a part of this Timberwolves community—the run that we were on and how cool it felt to be a part of it. Even now, when he got traded, I woke up to 25 texts saying, ‘Dude, are you O.K.? I’m so sorry.’ I’m more proud of the tattoo now and even more happy about my decision to be a part of it all.”

Wolves fan Kyle Ratke got a Naz Reid tattoo on the day the Timberwolves-Hornets trade officially was announced. | Tom Dierberger/Sports Illustrated

To truly understand Minnesota’s love for Reid, one must be caught up on the Timberwolves’ bleak history. In March 2021, the Wolves broke the record for the worst all-time franchise winning percentage in American professional sports. Their first three decades of existence were filled with countless draft busts, poor decisions and debacles: losing five first-round picks in the peak of Kevin Garnett’s career due to the Joe Smith controversy, drafting Ricky Rubio and Johnny Flynn over Steph Curry, the infamous Jimmy Butler practice. The list goes on and on.

And then there’s Reid, who came into the fold with no expectations attached to him. The Wolves signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2019. Reid was a highly touted high school prospect, but coming out of LSU in 2019, NBA teams were wary of his weight and overall conditioning (he had 14% body fat at the NBA combine, nearly 4% more than any other prospect).

Reid immediately shined at Summer League. The (respectfully) slightly chunky undrafted big man with the cool name who could shoot threes instantly became a fan favorite.

“You could tell in Summer League,” former Timberwolves head of digital content Kyle Ratke told SI. “Fans even then, just watching were just like, Naz Reid! Even then, you could tell that there was a different relationship with him to the fans than other players.”

Reid earned himself a multiyear contract right out of Summer League. He played 30 games as a rookie, spending a good chunk of the season in the G League. By his second year, Reid lost a bunch of weight, worked his way into the Timberwolves’ rotation and never looked back. He averaged 11.2 points per game in 2020–21 and made a big leap in 2023–24, averaging 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in 81 games en route to becoming the first Timberwolves player to win Sixth Man of the Year.

Reid is arguably the most successful homegrown project player in Wolves history. His rise to prominence ran parallel with the Timberwolves’ ascent into a Western Conference power. Since Reid was signed in 2019, Minnesota has more playoff series wins (five) than the first 34 years of the franchise combined (two).

In other words, those Naz Reid tattoos aren’t going anywhere. Even though he’s in Charlotte.

Wolves fan Shannon Dolan (tattoo location: ankle) told SI she might add a Hornets logo next to it. Turnquist (tattoo location: left arm) plans to “wear it with pride.” Jessica Kiehne (tattoo location: right upper arm) joked she might get “LaMelo” inked next to it, but has no regrets. Julie Anderson (tattoo location: ribs) is “absolutely” not changing anything despite her teenage son giving her a hard time about having Naz’s name tattooed on her instead of the name of her son or husband.

Neesha Moore (tattoo location: leg) has Naz Reid’s name and signature tattooed on her (she asked him to sign her leg at a fan event, and later had it inked). She’s leaving it as is. It’s not her first rodeo watching a Timberwolves player depart after honoring them with a tattoo—Moore actually has Nickeil Walker-Alexander’s portrait and number tattooed on her leg, and he left Minnesota last offseason. Another Wolves fan, Marina Fisher, has two Naz Reid tattoos because she initially got one on her ankle, but wanted more people to see it, so she got another one on her arm.

“No one wants to get rid of them,” George said. “More people just want them.”

When Sports Illustrated visited Beloved Studios on July 10—the day the Reid trade officially went through—Ratke and his wife, Jena Magee (another former Wolves employee) were waiting in the lobby wearing Reid jerseys. Ratke picked that day to commemorate Reid’s time with the Wolves with a tattoo on his right thigh.

“I think it’s just one of those things that you want to document,” Ratke said of his decision to get the ink after the trade.

Later that night, Ratke and Magee organized a “Naz Reid going away party” at Parkway Pizza in Minneapolis. Reid wasn’t in attendance, but hundreds of Wolves fans who wanted to pay their respects feasted on beer, pizza and Naz Reid nostalgia. Reid highlights played on TV screens in the pizzeria. A Naz Reid towel flew at half-staff. Fans took photos next to the “Honk if you love Naz Reid” sign that has been featured outside Parkway Pizza for two-plus years.

“Honk if you love Naz Reid” sign — The sign outside Parkway Pizza in Minneapolis. | Tom Dierberger/Sports Illustrated

During the height of the Naz Reid phenomenon in Minnesota, that sign caught the big man’s eye. Reid ventured out to Parkway Pizza and shared a special moment with the restaurant’s general manager Kai Glinsek, who came up with the idea in 2024.

“Reid is standing at the sign and he’s like, ‘Hey, I want to tell you something,’” Glinsek recounted to SI. “And he said, ‘My entire life I dreamed as a kid of something like this happening. It’s crazy that it’s happened and you’re the one who did it. So from the bottom of my heart, I just want to say thank you.’ And it was like one of those moments that’s etched into my brain forever.”

Parked a few blocks away from Parkway Pizza was a Honda Accord that belonged to a Wolves fan named Jack. Two weeks before the Wolves traded Reid, Jack went to the DMV and purchased a “NAZ” personalized license plate. He’s not giving it up.

“I think it’s more of a memorial now,” Jack told SI. “Every time I see it, I give him a little salute. I’ve got to keep it. I can’t give it up. Because he’s already out of Minnesota; I can’t let another piece of him leave.”

Minnesota license plate with “NAZ” — One Wolves fan is keeping his “NAZ” license plate despite the fact that Reid now resides in Charlotte. | Tom Dierberger/Sports Illustrated

A Naz Reid beach towel giveaway has become one of the most cherished souvenirs among the Wolves’ fan base. It’s been spotted in random places around the globe, from a Wrestlemania event in Philadelphia to an international NFL game in Germany. In May 2024, when Minnesota governor Tim Walz declared “Wolves Back Day” and secretly spelled out the Anthony Edwards “Bring Ya Ass” quote in the proclamation, it included a line that read, “Whereas: Naz Reid.” Walz also tweeted about Reid shortly after the trade went down.

You’ll always have a home in Minnesota, Naz.
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) June 25, 2026

“A lot of fans here are diehard fans,” Timberwolves fan Tyler Gangl said to SI. “If you got our back, we got your back, and to see Naz Reid come in as an undrafted free agent, very soft spoken, hard worker, and continue to do that over the years to go from undrafted to Sixth Man of the Year … it’s a mirror image of how I feel about Minnesota. The underdog, the hard work, the commitment to the team, things like that. We cheer for those underdogs.”

“He wanted to be here and we wanted him to be here,” Turnquist said. “That story just represents what people see in each other here. I hope he comes back.

“I hope they hang No. 11 in the rafters.”

Naz Reid.

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