Zeke Nnaji making more memories in Minneapolis in Nuggets-Timberwolves playoff series
Apr. 21—MINNEAPOLIS — The playoffs are providing Zeke Nnaji the opportunity to make more memories in Minnesota.
The Nuggets forward was born in Minneapolis and grew up 15 or 20 minutes away from the Target Center, where the Nuggets beat the Timberwolves 120-111 on Friday night to take a 3-0 series lead. He led Hopkins High School to a state championship on the Target Center court as a senior in 2019. When he returned to the arena as a rookie, his team's photo was still displayed in the concourse, as the COVID-19 pandemic canceled Minnesota's state tournament in 2020.
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"It's crazy, because my rookie year, I come back, and I'm walking through the arena and I see our picture, because we had just won it a couple of years ago," Nnaji told The Gazette in the pregame locker room.
"That was a little weird."
Playing at home has become a little more normal over the past couple of seasons, but Nnaji anticipated a different environment during the playoffs. There wasn't a fan in sight when he returned to the court for his pregame shooting session, but the white and gray shirts waiting for fans on each seat were enough of an indication.
"Just seeing the shirts fill the entire arena, I haven't seen that before," Nnaji said. "You can just tell that they're definitely going to bring the energy tonight."
The third-year forward who played one collegiate season at Arizona didn't have much time to spend with family and friends around the Nuggets' games in Minnesota this season. Both of Denver's regular season games at Target Center were part of back-to-back sets, leaving little time for socialization.
