The 2024 NBA Playoffs have shown how Anthony Edwards is poised to become the face of the NBA once legends like LeBron James and Stephen Curry retire. While every NBA fan knows him for his athleticism, unfiltered responses, and surprising similarities to Michael Jordan, there are several intriguing facts about Edwards that not a lot of people are aware of. Here are four of them.
Anthony Edwards wanted to play in the NFL over the NBA
Believe it or not, Edwards was more into football than basketball as a kid. Growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, Edwards played multiple positions on the football field, but he was unstoppable whenever he was given a chance to be a running back. He'd go back and forth between basketball and football up until high school, but the influence of his brothers ultimately helped him pick basketball over football.
At the age of ten, Edwards decided to focus more on basketball because none of his brothers would help him play football. Fast forward 12 years later, and it's safe to say that Edwards made the right decision. However, in a recent interview on Funny Marco's show Open Thoughts, he did say an NFL career still isn't out of the question.
His basketball goat is Kevin Durant
While many players of his generation look up to Jordan, James, or Kobe Bryant, Edwards' choice for the greatest basketball player of all time is Kevin Durant. He's often spoken about Durant's influence on his game, particularly appreciating KD's shooting and style of play. You can only imagine what was running through Edwards' mind when his playoff series win came against the player he looked up to the most.
Dwyane Wade and Victor Oladipo influenced him to choose Georgia
As a five-star recruit entering college, Edwards had just about every university sending letters to his door. While neither Dwyane Wade or Victor Oladipo attended Georgia, the man who coached both of them was currently the Bulldogs head coach. Tom Crean, the one-time head coach at Marquette and Indiana, was a coach Edwards wanted to learn from because of the two All-Star caliber guards he was able to produce.
Anthony Edwards wears the number 5 to honor his family
At the age of 14, Edwards experienced the devastating loss of both his mother and grandmother to cancer in an eight-month span. To honor their memory, Edwards chose to wear the number five, as both his mother and grandmother passed away on the 5th of the month.
The number serves as a constant reminder of their influence and the strength he draws from their memory. While his NBA career might've started with him wearing number one, once Malik Beasley left the Timberwolves, Edwards switched to his original number to start the 2023-2024 campaign.
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