Anthony Edwards looked like the future of USA basketball last year when he was the star of the American’s 2023 World Cup team that finished fourth in the competition.
The Minnesota Timberwolves 6-3 guard took his game to another level during the NBA season when he averaged 25.9 points and 5.1 assists and later in the bright spotlight of the playoffs when Minnesota eliminated Phoenix and defending champion Denver. He appears destined to become the brightest of a new generation of stars that will try to maintain this country’s dominance in the 2028 summer games in Los Angeles.
Edwards, who grew up idolizing Kevin Durant and Lebron James, gave us a preview of coming attractions when he went off for 26 points as Team USA defeated Puerto Rico, 104-83, to wrap up a perfect record in group play at the Paris Olympics and advance to the knockout round with a 3-0 record.
The Ant Man, who was Team USA’s leading scorer in group play, shot 11 for 15 and punctuated his performance by breaking away for a thunderous windmill dunk in the fourth quarter.
“I had already told KD after the timeout, ‘Bro, if I get a break, I’m going to windmill it,” he said. Edwards actually considered a higher degree of difficulty on his highlight reel play.
“I wanted to go between your legs, but I ain’t tried it so I didn’t want to embarrass myself,” he said. “I’ve been waiting. I want to dunk on somebody, but I ain’t got a line yet, so I’m glad I got that one.”
The 22-year-old fearless Edwards, in just his fourth year of pro ball, has never lacked for self-confidence.
He put the world on notice in the opening days of practice in Las Vegas. “I’m still the No. 1 option,” Edwards announced. “Y’all might look at it differently, but I don’t.”
Edwards has had a good time here, attending the tennis table tournament after proclaiming he could hold his own in that sport on the international stage.
He was on the boat carrying the United State delegation before opening ceremony on the Seine when he met with the members of the American table tennis team and insisted he would score at least one point against them in the game with teammate Steph Curry prodding him by saying, “They said they can smack you 21-0.”
“I don’t believe it. I’m not having it,” Edwards said. “Eleven to zero? I’m scoring one point.”
The sight of an NBA superstar taking in and enjoying a sport so much different and less high-profile than his own drew amused reaction on social media
In Edwards’ world anything is possible. Anyone could be a star for this deep, talented team.
“It was going to be different every night,” he said. “Tonight was my ‘night. The first night was KD, the second was Bam Adebayo. It’s not about getting mine. The ball was finding me. It was swing-swing passes and I was the recipient of all of those swing-swing passes and I was able to knock them down.”
Many came from the 39-year-old James, who still has some superhuman moments, but seems more interested in winning another gold medal. James was more than happy to be a facilitator when Kerr decided to sit Jrue Holiday, his best perimeter defender, to even out the 10-man rotation.
As it was, the five backups he used– Durant, Davis, Adebayo, Derrick White and Edwards– could easily win a gold medal in this competition as could the WNBA All Stars in the women’s competition.
Team USA is blessed with a huge talent pool.
“Anthony can score anytime in any situation, and so the benefit of having a guy like that is in a tight situation, you need a shot, he can get one,” US coach Steve Kerr said. “This has been a great experience for him . . . The talent is so overwhelming, and he continues to learn how to use it and be efficient in his play, he can be unguardable.”
