It’s a full circle moment for Anthony Edwards.
The 23-year-old superstar for the Minnesota Timberwolves is battling against the coach who he helped win the gold medal for on Team USA over the summer and who once criticized his work ethic.
Edwards and Kerr have had their fair share of battles over the yearsGettyIt’s Edwards and the Timberwolves versus Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors in round two of the NBA playoffs.
The high-flying athletic phenom has come a long way since Kerr once criticized Edwards’ work ethic prior to the 2020 draft.
The now three-time All-Star, who is being compared by basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal to young versions of Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, was coldly blasted by Kerr not that long ago.
Despite being a five-star recruit in high school and one of the top players in America entering college, the 6ft 4in Atlanta native was still proving himself as he entered the NBA Draft in 2020.
In fact, Edwards was called out by coach Kerr for his lack of on-court intensity and work ethic.
It was a low blow for Edwards, who grew up admiring Wade, a 13-time All-Star and three-time NBA champion best known for constantly rising up from tough on-court collisions.
“I thought I was working hard,” Edwards said in September of 2023 according to ESPN.
“When he (Kerr) came, I was going through drills and he kept stopping them, like, ‘That’s all you got? That’s all you got?’ And I’m like, ‘Bruh, I’m going hard as you want me to go. What you want me to do? I’m sweating crazy.'”
Edwards still ended up going No. 1 to Minnesota, which had recently gone through a 13-year playoff drought and spent several seasons as the worst team in the NBA before his arrival.
But Kerr and the Warriors kept pushing Edwards from afar, telling the SEC Rookie of the Year that Golden State wouldn’t have taken the University of Georgia star if Kerr’s team held the top pick.
Kerr and Edwards bonded over the summer while coaching and playing for Team USA Steve Kerr was tough on Ant-Man but brought out the best in the high-flying dunk artistThe Warriors ended up taking James Wiseman at No. 2.
“He’s like, ‘Man, you’ve got to see Steph (Curry), KD (Kevin Durant) and Klay (Thompson) work out,” Edwards recalled.
“They still was continuously telling me, ‘You didn’t work hard enough. If we had the No. 1 pick, we wouldn’t take you.’ And I was just like, ‘Damn, that’s crazy.’ “
Kerr and the Warriors were right — and completely wrong.
Wiseman has mostly been a bust through five seasons.
He was traded out of Golden State less than three years after being drafted and is currently out of the league.
GettyDwyane Wade knew a thing or two about crazy dunks during his NBA playing days[/caption]Edwards turned Kerr’s harsh words into personal motivation, skyrocketing into one of the league’s best players.
It was obvious in 2024 and through last year’s postseason that Ant had taken the next big leap, which left Shaq remembering the awesome power of Wade and Bryant in their youth.
“Listen, when you’re playing against a young cat that wants all the smoke and he wants your spot, it don’t matter whether you’re 22,” O’Neal said last season.
“You better continue to play hard, take him out, because this kid, he’s not stopping. He wants it.
“This guy is the system and he is the man. Very aggressive. … He reminds me of a young D-Wade, a young Kobe. He’s going to score and he’s going to get his every time. He’s playing super aggressive.
“I respect the kid. I love the kid, because he wants it. You talk about who’s going to be the next? They mention his name sometimes. But he plays like, you know what, you will remember the name Anthony Edwards.”
AFPShaquille Oâ€Neal saw the best of Bryant up close and loves Edwards’ aggressive style[/caption]Ant-Man added to his young legacy by defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, adding the pelts of LeBron James and Luka Dončić next to the other legends that he has slain in the postseason.
A list that already includes Nikola Jokic and Kevin Durant.
He now hopes to add Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, along with Kerr, to his list.
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