I was once blasted by Steve Kerr for bad work ethic, now I’m high-flying ‘Dunk of Year’ candidate dominating NBA like ‘young D-Wade and Kobe’
Anthony Edwards was the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft, so this is expected.
High-flying dunks that light up social media and turn the 'Ant-Man' into a nightly viral sensation, which happened again on Tuesday as Edwards completely destroyed Utah's John Collins in a 114-104 road win for Minnesota.
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"It gives me chills, man, because I always dreamed of dunking on somebody like that,†Edwards said.
Making the All-Star team while guiding the rebuilt Timberwolves toward the top of the Western Conference and back to the NBA playoffs.
“He’s always been a guy who can really flip a game around,†Minnesota head coach Chris Finch said. “Knows when to raise it. Knows when to make the big play."
But the 22-year-old guard being compared by basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal to young versions of Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade was being coldly blasted not that long ago.
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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 Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr for his lack of on-court intensity and work ethic.
It was a low blow for Edwards, who grew up admiring Wade, a 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 last September, according to . "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.' "
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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.
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.
The 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 four seasons.
He's already been traded by Golden State and is now a backup big man for the Detroit Pistons, who are 12-56 and hold the NBA's second-worst record.
Edwards turned Kerr's harsh words into personal motivation, finishing second in NBA Rookie of the Year voting, while increasing his scoring average each year.
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In 2023-24, Ant-Man is averaging a career-high 26.6 points while shooting a career-best 46.7 percent from the field and 37 percent on 3-pointers.
His well-rounded game features nightly averages of 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.3 steals.
But Minnesota's current record (47-21) is Edwards' most impressive stat.
Despite losing star big man Karl-Anthony Towns to a meniscus tear in his left knee and subsequent surgery, Edwards has kept the T-Wolves close with Oklahoma City and Denver in a thrilling race for the top spot in the West.
It's obvious in 2024 that Ant is taking the next big leap, which left Shaq remembering the awesome power of Wade and Bryant in their youth.
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"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. "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."
Ant-Man added to his young legacy by running the hardwood as the best Team USA player in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
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Then Edwards' name was everywhere on social media on Tuesday, after he unleashed a monster slam that required multiple viewings for a full appreciation.
"Oh my God," Edwards said. "Hey, that's the best dunk of my career, I'm not going to lie."
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