Naz Reid, 26-year-old center forward of the Minnesota Timberwolves, is mourning the loss of his sister, Toraya. She was fatally shot by his boyfriend, as per the police reports. Reid shared a close relationship with her. Reid has not made any statement on the matter, but shared a series of throwback pictures of his sister with him on his Instagram story. As the Timberwolves star deals with the loss, let’s dive into his personal details and explore some unknown facts about him.
Naz Reid’s ethnicity is African American
Naz Reid is an American basketball player of African American ethnicity. He is the Minnesota Timberwolves’ star center forward and has recently signed a 5-year, $125mn contract extension deal with the Timberwolves.
Naz Reid was born and brought up in Asbury Park, New Jersey. It is a coastal city famous for being the native place of rock music icon, the songwriter/composer Bruce Springsteen.
In an interview with MSP Mag in 2023, he shared that Asbury Park is known for beach life and that he always found something interesting to do there.
Naz Reid is only son of his parents and has two sisters
In the same tell-all interview, Naz Reid shared details about his family. His mother was a nurse, and his father was a semi-pro football player who later carved out a career in the construction sector. Naz revealed that he got his work ethic from his parents, who worked very hard to give their children a good life. He shared that he saw basketball as a means to support his family, and the passion to give back to his family motivates him to work with a dedicated approach.
Naz is the middle child and has an elder and a younger sister. His elder sister was Toraya (she was killed in a fatal shoot-out, reportedly by her boyfriend).
The younger sister is Jakhaya. Toraya played softball in her growing years.
Naz Reid’s early life and introduction to basketball
Naz was initially trained in football, as it was a popular sport in his native place at the time. After reaching high school, he shifted to basketball. Very soon, he was the seventh-rated recruit in the country during his high school and was selected as a McDonald’s All-American.
Naz’s popularity on the internet was unmatched. He was a part of the internet community Jelly Fam, started by Isiah Washington, and acquired the nickname Big Jelly because of his mastery of the iconic finger roll lay-up, a style that was the focus of this community. He also became meme-worthy material by 2023 and had various interesting memes floating with him in focus.
However, Naz had to face rejection initially when he remained undrafted in 2019, but his perseverance landed him a place in the Minnesota Timberwolves later that year. He chose losing a drafting opportunity to fuel the fire in him and transformed himself into one of the most loved
NBA stars with sheer hard work and dedication.
Naz Reid committed to LSU during college basketball days; his girlfriend was considered a major decisive factor
Naz Reid played for the LSU Tigers during his college basketball days back in 2017. Media reports circulated that he chose to commit to LSU as he wanted to stay close to his girlfriend, Raven Farley, who was also a standout player at LSU.
The two have stayed tight-lipped about their relationship, and no further reports have made rounds in the media. A report at Yahoo Sports, dated Sep 13, 2017, mentioned Farley as one of the factors for Reid choosing to join the SEC program of LSU.
Naz Reid enjoys a strong fanbase and massive internet presence
Naz Reid is one of the very few basketball players who have had a strong internet presence since the start of their professional career. One of his ardent fans was the manager of Parkway Pizza in Minneapolis, Kai Glinsek, who even put a sign, ‘Honk If You Love Naz Reid’ in the summer of 2023.
Naz’s rise from humble beginnings to a mega star has been a source of inspiration to all. He shared in the interview with MSP Mag that his online presence was significant right after the eighth standard. He also mentioned in the interview that he had 3-4 Instagram accounts, because he forgot passwords, and later he stuck to the @hollywood.naz handle, as he was not allowed to change the name.
Naz’s strong point has been his finger roll expertise and the ability to adapt to every given condition. In the same interview, he shared that he tries to deliver whatever is thrown at him and that he fights for what’s rightfully his. Naz was awarded the Sixth Man of the Year in 2024. His career statistics are 406 games played, 20.9 minutes played on average, 48.7% FG percentage, and 37.3 3P%, as per ESPN’s records.
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Who killed Toraya Reid? Sister of Minnesota Timberwolves star Naz Reid fatally shot in New JerseyCatch Lovlina Borgohain's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 5. Watch Here
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