Anthony Edwards’ rise: The big brother, big lights and big dreams that inspired him

LAS VEGAS — Before he was the No. 1 overall draft pick, before he dunked his way into the hearts of beleaguered Minnesota Timberwolves fans and long before he sat on a stage at the Las Vegas Summer League to commemorate a new five-year contract that could be worth as much as $260 million, Anthony Edwards was just a boy who wanted to be like his big brother.

Growing up in Atlanta, Edwards loved to play football and dreamed of one day roaming the secondary, like Sean Taylor did back then or Jalen Ramsey does now. But his brother, Bubba, played basketball, and that was enough to convert little Ant to hoops. On Monday, as the gratitude flowed through a press conference room at Thomas & Mack Center, with a majestic view of the Las Vegas Strip and its dazzling new Sphere concert venue, it was Bubba who became the first thought that went through Edwards’ head as he reflected on the journey to get here.

“I wasn’t really a basketball guy growing up, but watching him, I decided to follow in his footsteps,” Edwards said. “If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be up here. I just want to thank him.”

Minutes earlier, Bubba had walked through 109-degree heat from the parking lot into the arena for the festivities. The blast furnace in the desert could not take away the goosebumps on his arms as he stood to the side of the stage and listened to his little brother — the one who slept on the floor of his teacher’s classroom during lunch to stave off the fatigue that came from an hour-long commute to high school, the one who looked a Wolves nemesis in the eyes and never backed down, the one who can leap small forwards in a single bound — thank him for the generational wealth landing at the feet of two kids who grew up in some of the hardest parts of Atlanta.

“Chills, man. Just chills through my body,” Bubba said. “I just thank God. We just gotta keep our head down and keep working.”

Edwards has rarely been reflective in his three seasons in the league, despite plenty of reasons to marvel at the path his life has taken. At 14, he lost his mother and grandmother to cancer; they were the women who raised him, guided him and pushed him through his early years. Violence was a constant concern in his neighborhood, forcing him to seek refuge at a prestigious high school on the other side of town. There may be little outwardly detectable bitterness or resentment in a player who rarely stops smiling, but Bubba said they used basketball as the outlet to find joy amid the pain.

“Just using all of the hurt and the struggle and knowing where you came from, making you want to just see something different and get out of your situation,” Bubba said. “It’s really a getaway. It’s a way to cope and be free, just clear your mind and find some love.”

It has come in waves for Edwards over the last three years. He became an instant fan favorite in Minnesota thanks to his dynamic style of play, fearlessness in the playoffs and effervescent personality. The organization has thrown its arms around him, pulling out all the stops to celebrate a contract that could be the single richest in franchise history should he make an All-NBA team next season.

Outside the Wolves hotel in Vegas
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His popularity is starting to transcend the Timberwolves as well. He was named to Team USA for the upcoming FIBA World Cup and was a big part of the NBA’s marketing campaign last weekend in Las Vegas, including being chosen alongside big names like Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, Hawks All-Star Trae Young and 2023 No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama to help unveil the league’s new in-season tournament.

He is not only becoming a face of the Timberwolves franchise. He is positioned to eventually become a face of the league as a whole. Owner Glen Taylor and his wife, Becky, were seated in the front row. An array of other Wolves executives, including CEO Ethan Casson, were in attendance as well.

“This level of commitment is more about the person than the player,” President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly said. “You don’t do this unless you trust the person. He’s everything you want him to be.”

Edwards’ contract does not include a player option on the fifth season, but the Timberwolves cannot afford to relax knowing they have one of the league’s brightest young stars under team control for the foreseeable future. The reality of the league is that the clock is always ticking for a franchise with its most important players. The Wolves have to build a team around Edwards to maximize his skill set and give them a chance to make a run in the playoffs. Connelly said as much on Monday night, alluding to the goal of no more first-round exits.

The pressure is on them coming off a season that was disjointed thanks to injuries to several key players, most notably Karl-Anthony Towns, and the slow integration of Rudy Gobert into the two-big lineup that had the rest of the league viewing the Wolves with a side-eye glance. What gives the team comfort in an era where comfort can be a dangerous disposition is that Edwards has never been the kind of person to search out the easy route.

“Ant’s not the type of player who wants to go and chase opportunities elsewhere,” coach Chris Finch said. “He’s the type of player that wants people to come and play with him. He’s the type of player that has that draw. He’s everything for our organization right now. To see him grow and to see what he can still become is pretty exciting.”

So far, Edwards has endorsed the team’s leadership. Finch has often said that Edwards wants to be coached hard in games, practices and the film room. As last season wore on, he started to use his voice more with teammates, demanding more of them and also picking them up when they were struggling. In an interview with television play-by-play announcer Michael Grady after he signed his contract, Edwards said he wanted to get Towns the MVP and Gobert back to his All-Defense self in the upcoming season.

“I think the most exciting thing is we’re young. We’re getting a lot better. We’ve got a great coach and a great GM. I trust these guys,” Edwards said. “As long as they trust us, we’re going to make it happen.”

Anthony Edwards and Wolves co-owner Alex Rodriguez

Anthony Edwards talks with Timberwolves co-owner Alex Rodriguez at the NBA Summer League in Last Vegas. (Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE via Getty Images)

It will not be easy. The rest of the Western Conference is loaded, with Wembanyama joining the San Antonio Spurs, Bradley Beal teaming up with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker in Phoenix, Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks bringing some seasoning to the young Houston Rockets, Zion Williamson expected to be healthy in New Orleans and the defending champions in Denver not going anywhere.

The Wolves will return largely intact from last season, save for swapping Taurean Prince for Shake Milton and Troy Brown Jr. Towns is fully healthy after missing 52 games with a calf injury. Naz Reid’s broken wrist will be mended, as will Jaden McDaniels’ broken hand. The Wolves did not make a splash free-agent signing and did not have a first-round pick, so it will largely be on the core to improve if they are going to finish better than the eighth seed they were last season.

Edwards made a leap in his third season in the league, averaging 24.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists and shooting 37 percent from 3. But he cannot stop there. This contract cements Edwards as the franchise centerpiece and demands an even higher level of play from him. That continued ascension would make it easier for the Wolves to incorporate Gobert. It would make the Edwards-Towns pairing even more formidable. It would, for the first time in a long time, give the Timberwolves a real chance.

“Money often makes you a more exaggerated version of who you really are,” Finch said. “He’s genuine and he’s real. I think now he has opportunities to really let his leadership grow and show because he’s got that commitment and he’s made that commitment to us.”

Edwards spent all weekend telling anyone who would listen that he is up for the challenge. He said that a goal this season is to establish himself as one of the league’s best shooting guards and had a simple message during his appearance on ESPN to help reveal the groupings for the in-season tournament. (The Wolves are in a group with the Warriors, Spurs, Kings and Thunder.)

“I get to beat up on all of them,” he said, with Kerr sitting just a few feet to his right.

Earlier in the show, which aired in front of hundreds of rowdy NBA fans at the league’s “NBA Con” fan event, Kerr was introduced as “four-time NBA champion Steve Kerr,” eliciting an eruption from the audience. A smile creased Edwards’ face as he took it all in, a smirk that indicated he understood the adoration that comes with winning.

On Monday night, he was reminded of an anecdote he once told about wanting to make his mother proud and promising his grandmother that he would take care of his family. He was asked if the contract he signed last weekend signified that mission being accomplished.

“Not mission accomplished,” Edwards quickly replied. “They loved to see me win. When I was little playing football growing up, I always won the championship in football or basketball. They want to see me win. When I win and get a ring or a gold medal for Team USA, I think they’ll be super excited.”

Watching from a few feet away, Bubba couldn’t help but shake his head. The moment has never been more real for the Edwards brothers and their tight circle of friends and confidantes, including business manager Justin Holland and videographer Tre McCain. They always had high hopes for what they could do together, but they always knew it was anything but guaranteed.

“It’s always been a dream, but it’s never been a fact that we knew he was going to make it,” Bubba once said.

Seeing his brother’s face on the marquee outside their hotel, watching him put pen to paper on a megadeal and knowing that an entire franchise is pinning its future on his broad shoulders was enough to send shivers down Bubba’s spine. They have more money than they will ever need, will travel the world this summer with USA Basketball and will return to their second home in Minnesota with full plans to unleash hell on the upcoming season.

Just to his left, floor-to-ceiling windows framed the lights of the strip shimmering in front of a setting sun. In that moment, it was overwhelmingly obvious that the Edwards brothers have made it.

Only it didn’t feel like an arrival. It felt like a launch.

(Top photo: Brian Sevald / NBAE via Getty Images)