The NBA has postponed Saturday’s game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Golden State Warriors after a Minneapolis man was shot and killed by federal agents. The shooting took place on Saturday morning in South Minneapolis following a confrontation between observers and federal officials. The man was later identified as Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse.
In a statement released by the NBA, the decision was made to prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community.
The incident is the second fatal shooting in Minneapolis involving federal officials, as two weeks ago, on January 7, Renee Nicole Good was killed by federal officials near her home in South Minneapolis. The next night, the Timberwolves played the Cleveland Cavaliers and held a moment of silence for Good before the game.
On Friday, tens of thousands of people joined together in downtown Minneapolis in freezing cold temperatures to protest the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who have been in Minnesota for the past couple of weeks. The march started outside U.S. Bank Stadium and ended at Target Center, where an hour-long program took place, featuring local leaders and immigrants who shared their stories and recent experiences with ICE.
Neither the Timberwolves nor the Warriors organizations have released a statement about the postponement aside from the NBA’s press release. Coaches from both teams will meet with the media prior to tomorrow’s game, as they do before all NBA games.
Saturday’s postponed game will instead be played tomorrow at 4:30 PM CT, with both teams playing against each other again on Monday at 8:30 PM CT.
