Wolves' Naz Reid makes an impact on World Marrow Donor Day

It's a cause near and dear to his heart.

Naz Reid signs autographs with fans at a NMDP Unite event for World Marrow Donor Day on Sept, 21, 2024, in Minneapolis. / Nolan O'Hara / Bring Me The News

Timberwolves center Naz Reid lost a father figure in his life, Rudy Roundtree, to leukemia in 2022 while he was waiting for a potential stem cell transplant. In honor of Roundtree, Reid is giving back to others who are fighting similar battles and are in need of those life-saving treatments.

Reid shared his story at a NMDP Unite event on Saturday morning for World Marrow Donor Day, which aims to bring awareness to the importance of registering as a blood stem cell donor and the impact it can have on others’ lives, a cause that's clearly close to Reid's heart.

“We’re just trying to keep going out there and pushing and pushing as much as we can, I think that’s just the start,” Reid said. “I think we can do a lot more with more time to come.” 

NMDP is a nonprofit organization that works to find cures for patients dealing with blood cancers and disorders and matches patients with potential donors. The organization became aware of Reid’s story after reading a story by Chris Hine in the Star Tribune that detailed Reid’s relationship to the Roundtrees, who became a second family to the Timberwolves star.

Reid spent significant time with Rudy, his wife Sheila and their children while he was in high school. Rudy drove him to practices, went with him down to LSU for college and even followed him to Minnesota, all along the way being an impactful influence on his life and basketball journey.

“That authentic connection, their willingness to be public about that story, it was a no-brainer for us to try and engage with Naz in our life saving mission,” said Joy King, the chief advancement officer at NMDP. 

Reid’s team immediately responded when NMDP reached out, wanting to learn more about the organization and their mission. Reid, too, was looking for more opportunities to share his story. 

“Once I got the chance to be open about it because I’m a really closed person, I think I was able to share my experience and express it, and it kind came naturally at that point,” Reid said. 

Saturday’s NMDP Unite event was the first of its kind and took place in three different markets on Saturday — Minneapolis, New York and Los Angeles. It provided an opportunity for attendees to join the donation registry, support in other ways and featured fun events like face painting, and of course, a photo opportunity with Reid, who attendees flocked to with open arms. 

It will be an annual event from here on out, taking place every year on World Marrow Donor Day, the third Saturday of September, and the organization hopes to expand to additional markets next year. 

“It’s huge. I think it’s very important for people to know what’s going on around the world and have a chance to at least offer themselves to help, so I think it’s huge,” Reid said.