Minneapolis pizzeria flies Naz Reid towel at half mast after trade news

Minnesota Timberwolves fans are in mourning after fan-favorite forward Naz Reid was traded to the Charlotte Hornets Thursday.

Parkway Pizza in northeast Minneapolis has held a sign outside that reads, “Honk if you love Naz Reid” since 2024. General Manager Kai Glinsek said he questioned whether the news was real when he first saw it.

“I had just come out of my apartment, and I walked down to my local coffee shop, and I was getting a coffee, and I had to sit down, because I thought it was fake,” Glinsek said. “I really did, I thought it was fake, and I sat there for like five minutes, and I was just like, no, it's real, and it hit.”

Glinsek said he immediately faced questions about what would happen to the sign outside of Parkway Pizza. He added that people had texted him, asking how he was feeling and whether or not the news was real.

To commemorate Reid’s departure, Glinsek lowered a Timberwolves towel inscribed with Naz Reid’s name to half-mast outside the building.

“I brought it out just because it's to pay tribute to Naz, and for everything he did for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Timberwolves fans,” he said. “We're gonna miss him, so I was like, ‘A great way to honor him, bring up the towel hanging out from this banner right here.’”

Glinsek said he plans to keep the sign and towel up for another month; he then might change the sign to honor Minnesota Lynx player Olivia Miles. He added he will change it to a Timberwolves player when the NBA season begins. Some options include Jaylen Clark, Jaden McDaniels and Terrence Shannon Jr., whom he said is probably the most likely option because his spirit mirrors Reid’s.

Reid visited Glinsek’s sign during his time with the Timberwolves, and Glinsek said it’s a moment he will carry with him forever.

Parkway Pizza regular Terry Horstman wore a shirt that read, “Honk if you love Naz Reid.” He said he woke up to 100 text messages breaking the news to him.

While Horstman said he’s in “sports mourning” now that Reid is gone, he remains hopeful the Timberwolves will win the NBA championship.

“I'm excited when I think about Ant (Anthony Edwards) playing next to LaMelo Ball,” Horstman said. “But Naz gave us so much, and he became a cult hero for a reason. So I'm glad we'll have the things to remember him by, the towels and the sign and all the people who got tattoos.”

The Timberwolves will be back in action in October.

Correction (June 26, 2026): A previous version of this story misidentified Kai Glinsek's position at Parkway Pizza.

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