Timberwolves forward Naz Reid revisits memories and makes another: Go behind the scenes as he returns to his high school, then lives a dream

ROSELLE PARK, N.J. – Naz Reid walked through a back door of his high school, Roselle Catholic, and under a sign that said “library.” His 6-foot-9 frame barely fit in the doorway.

Awaiting him in that library were a lot of people instrumental during his time at Roselle, which is in New Jersey about a 40-minute drive from Manhattan without traffic.

Administrators, teachers, friends, all came in the room that night to greet him. Everyone wanted a handshake, a picture and to tell them how proud they were of him. His Wolves teammates and coaches sat at tables nearby and ate some Chipotle; they’d flown into town and boarded a bus that went straight to Roselle. In the library were photos of Reid’s time at Roselle and T-shirts that commemorated this night, his jersey retirement. Mike Conley and Joe Ingles threw on the shirts.

As he took in the scene, Reid, who wasn’t sure before this night how he would feel, was all smiles.

“I get to show my teammates a part of me that they haven’t even thought of,” Reid said. “… Just your younger side. The side a lot of people haven’t seen. From the pictures, you could tell I look different.”

You could see, even if they were tired from the trip, just how much fun his teammates were having, especially as the moment arrived when Roselle unveiled Reid’s jersey on the wall at halftime of its game Thursday.

The school made Reid’s the first retired jersey in its history. During his four years there, he became a McDonald’s All-American, brought Roselle into the national rankings and helped the school win New Jersey’s prestigious Tournament of Champions.

Before the ceremony, Anthony Edwards sneaked up into the bleachers, not wanting to draw attention away from Reid’s big night (when the kids in attendance saw Edwards later come onto the floor for a team picture with Reid, they went nuts). Nobody was clapping or yelling louder as Roselle unveiled Reid’s No. 5 than Edwards, who was also hitting the bleachers he was on to add to the noise.

“That was the best feeling I had in a minute, since having my little girl. It felt like my jersey was getting retired,” Edwards said after the Wolves’ victory Friday over the Knicks in New York. “Naz is like a brother to me. I’ve been here for five years; every year that I’ve been here Naz has been here. We talk all the time. I know all his family. The school did a great job. It was dope.”

Reid’s time at Roselle provided foreshadowing for his NBA career. He didn’t play heavy minutes as a freshman behind other players who went on to the NBA like Isaiah Briscoe and Chris Silva. Just as Reid had to wait his turn for minutes when he came to the Wolves as an undrafted free agent in 2019.

“There was some frustration, some days he was really upset with me,” said his coach, Dave Boff. “... I think the best part about Naz is a lot of kids in that situation, top 10 kid in the country, they would’ve left, transferred, done something else. But he stuck with it, bought into what we were doing and I think a lot of that is why he’s been so resilient in the NBA.”

Boff also took some flack for allowing Reid to develop his perimeter game and not just sticking him in the post. That turned out to be a prudent move for Reid’s NBA career, given he has made his name on his ability to shoot and take defenders off the dribble.

“We always thought that was going to be his ticket,” Boff said.

Boff, who has since moved on from Roselle, was one of the people in the library waiting to greet Reid. Also in the library were Reid’s family and friends, including Sheila Roundtree. Sheila and her late husband, Rudy, became a second family to Reid as he attended Roselle. The Minnesota Star Tribune profiled the relationship between Reid and Sheila and Rudy Roundtree in April. Rudy followed Reid to Louisiana State, and he moved to Minnesota to support Reid as he began his pro career before he died of leukemia in April 2022.

“Going through that gym, Rudy just sitting in his seat all the time, coming to each and every game, it’s a lot. It’s really a little bit emotional,” Sheila Roundtree said. “I was on the plane, thinking about how everything had unfolded. … Rudy would be basically crying out here, just to see him, from where he started from, and now, I’m just so excited for him.”

Reid grew up in Asbury Park, about 45 minutes from Roselle, and the commute was a chore. With the blessing of Reid’s mother, Anashia, Reid moved into the Roundtrees' home in Newark, and they helped him get to and from school with their son Peace, who was also on the basketball team. The school paid tribute to Rudy in the opening remarks before unveiling Reid’s jersey.

“He’d probably cry,” Reid said. “He’d be super excited. It’d be dope for him. It’s full circle for all of us.”

After everything was finished Thursday, Reid had a game to play at Madison Square Garden, against the Knicks on Friday. Those emotions only seemed to inspire Reid, who accomplished what every New York and New Jersey kid dreams about: having a big night at the Garden. He scored 23 points on 8-for-11 shooting as the Wolves won 116-99. A fitting way to end a memorable 36 hours at home for a local kid who made it big.

“It’s definitely an honor, and it just shows how much work that I put in,” Reid said. “The journey still continues, but that was a big part of my journey, and being able to play here [at Madison Square Garden] and play the way I did, and get the win, another blessing for me.”

1:30 p.m. Monday

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Timberwolves update: The Wolves, who have won their past four road games, begin a two-game trip through Memphis and Dallas. They lost 127-125 to the Grizzlies at home on Jan. 11 as Memphis ended the game on a 14-6 run. For his career against the Grizzlies, G Anthony Edwards has shot 42% from three-point range, the second-highest mark he has shot from deep against any team. Rob Dillingham has averaged 10.5 points and 2.5 assists after rejoining the rotation following a great toe sprain to Donte DiVincenzo. DiVincenzo is out for the third consecutive game.

Grizzlies update: The Wolves held Ja Morant to 12 points on 5-for-19 in their previous meeting, but Morant still hit two baskets in the final minute, including what proved to be the winning shot with 18.1 seconds left. Morant is averaging 21.4 points and 7.5 assists per game. Memphis is the No. 2 team in the league in offensive rebounding rate. The Grizzlies had 21 offensive rebounds the last time the teams met.