Tattoo artist who fueled Minnesota's Naz Reid obsession is battling a brain tumor

Jesse Stroebel became an instant hit when he offered $20 Naz Reid tattoos during Minnesota's magical 2024 playoff run.

Jesse Stroebel (right) posing with a Naz Reid painting outside his tattoo shop in Roseville, Minnesota. | Jesse Stroebel via Instagram

Naz Reid. Two words and seven letters that are tattooed on arms, legs, torsos, and butt cheeks throughout Minnesota, all thanks to a tattoo artist whose social media post on May 6, 2024, caught fire during Reid and the Timberwolves' first of consecutive trips to the Western Conference Finals.

Less than two years later, tattooist JC Stroebel, a husband and father of two children, a 3-year-old and a 6-month-old, is fighting for life after being diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Stroebel woke up with what he thought was a migraine headache on December 6. According to a GoFundMe, what he thought was a migraine "developed into concerning neurological symptoms." An MRI and CT scan revealed a brain tumor the size of a golf ball.

Staying in the hospital overnight because they found a lil mass in my brain today but the wolves added another w to the win column so we G

— Wolves Enjoyer (@john_chuck) December 7, 2025

"I’m kinda at a loss for words, but I know we’re gonna fight this and win," Stroebel said Tuesday.

Stroeble is now waiting to undergo brain surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, on December 30.

"While the exact diagnosis and prognosis of the tumor type won't be known until after surgery, it's clear that our friends have a long road of uncertainty in the months ahead," the GoFundMe reads. "Depending on what the biopsy shows, they will have countless repeated and ongoing extended stays in Rochester for treatment and recovery."

Stroebel started getting attention when he tweeted around 11:30 p.m. CT on May 6, 2024, after Reid hit four three-pointers and scored 14 points in the Wolves' blowout win over Denver in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals.

"Will tattoo 'Naz Reid' on anyone for $20," he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. "I'm dead serious[.]"

Will tattoo “Naz Reid” on anyone for $20

I’m dead serious

— Wolves Enjoyer (@john_chuck) May 7, 2024

Sports Illustrated documented the attention, with Stroebel and tattoo partner Jesse George saying they had hundreds of people through their doors at Beloved Studios, located at 3092 Lexington Avenue North in the Twin Cities suburb of Roseville, in the days that followed.

"Managing all of this while caring for two very young children is more than one family should have to carry alone," the fundraiser says. To donate, you can find the GoFundMe here.