After KARE 11 met Rhett Niver last week, many wanted the 3-year-old Timberwolves superfan to go to game 4 against the Denver Nuggets this past weekend.
"She just said, 'we saw Rhett's clip. He was so great on TV, we'd love to bring you in for a game,'" Kara Niver, Rhett's mom, said. "She told us that he would get to go down on the court and potentially meet some of the players."
Rhett and his family were in early Saturday to watch warmups as the Wolves and Nuggets got ready, invited by the Timberwolves. Before that happened, the team made sure they made a quick stop by the team store.
"After I told you he didn't wear his jersey to daycare," Kara said. "He wore his jersey to daycare today to tell everybody!"
Multiple players, including Mike Conley, Naz Reid, Jaden McDaniels, Rudy Gobert, Joe Ingles and Donte DiVincenzo all came over to say hello to Rhett and his family.
"It was so cool when we were there, because he just knows every player," Kara said. "So it was like everyone that came over, it was like his friend, basically, because he was like, 'I know them. I've seen them. I've watched them.'"
The family was able to go on the court pregame. Dad Grant says Rhett couldn't have been more engaged.
"For Rhett, it was just, you could tell, like, he was locked in the entire game," he said. "Standing there, chanting, 'defense!'"
"He's like, 'We got to stay in the seats, we're going to miss the game if we get up!'" Kara said.
The Wolves beat the Nuggets, capping off a memorable night for the 3-year-old – and one he and his family won't soon forget.
"He'll have these memories and these pictures forever, and get to say that he met the players and got to go down on the court," Kara said. "Like, no one gets to say that, especially not 3-year-olds."
"Watching him like running around on the court, pretending to shoot threes and dribble and stuff, as, you know, the crowds there, and he's just getting to play on the court as a 3-year-old," Grant said.
Rhett, of course, loved the entire experience. Kara says he couldn't stop smiling.
"I felt so special!" Rhett said. "Thank you Timberwolves!"