The Insane Rise of Anthony Edwards

he looks like MJ he plays like MJ and he's currently the most Unstoppable one-man offense in basketball and because he's also funny and super charismatic Anthony Edwards has become a new face of the NBA but his road to super stardom was far from Easy an's Life was filled with tragedy his story is one of perseverance and achieving the American dream through adversity this is the incredible story of Anthony Edwards a guy who originally wanted to be an NFL player but instead became an NBA super Superstar While most players get their nickname when they get to

the NBA Anthony got his when he was three his father called him Ant-Man but other than the nickname and athletic genes he didn't contribute much to his son's life instead Anthony was raised by his mother and grandmother who were his biggest cheerleaders however Ant-Man wasn't dominating in basketball but in football when Anthony was 7 years old he was bigger taller and faster than everybody else large feet and hands strong calves and Joints boosted with almost unnatural athleticism were a package that made him Unstoppable on the football field Anthony could have been a running back a

cornerback or a wide receiver in the NFL but after he saw one of his brothers dunk Edwards started to fall in love with basketball however his mother insisted that he stick with football because she believed he could become a pro and bring his family out of poverty but then at the age of 13 one injury changed his career trajectory ant broke his left ankle so badly during a football game that he was limping to school for the next few months and when he returned he wasn't the same player anymore like he got bit by a

radioactive spider or something Anthony's athleticism tripled after the injury his left leg had gotten so much stronger and bouncier like someone installed a trampoline in it he could take off and fly like never before dunking for the first time at age 14 and when he got that first taste of the rim Ant-Man couldn't get enough of it all he wanted to do was to play basketball and shatter rims in every gym he went to but even though he bulldozed through opponents because of his athletic ability his overall game was far from perfect and then ant

met a man who would change his life it was Justin Holland an atlanta-based skills trainer who saw enormous potential in the 14-year-old Edwards Holland challenged Edwards and started pushing his buttons and this kind of tough love was something Anthony responded to because it was the same way his mother pushed him all his life and even though Holland's workouts were tough and exhausting ant kept coming for more the duo would spend hours in the gym throughout high school and Holland would sometimes spend more time with Edwards than with his own family the initial focus of their

practices was on shooting shot selection and ball handling because Edwards knew how to get to the rim but couldn't shoot at all at the time ant said to Holland that if he was able to improve his shot nobody would be able to stop him and that's exactly what happened Holland kept pushing Edwards who proved to be a true gym rat and wanted to soak up basketball knowledge like a sponge while his classmates were out drinking and partying Edwards was spending his evenings in the gym with his trainer but then tragedy struck on January 5th 2015

when Anthony was still only 14 years old his mother lost a long battle with cancer and just 8 months later cancer claimed another member of his family his grandmother which left Anthony without the two biggest cornerstones of his life his older brothers and sister took legal custody of them however they were still only teenagers not financially able to support themselves and their younger brother Anthony was never in a stable place moving from home to home and those circumstances could have completely wrecked anybody's will to play sports but not Edwards despite those horrible losses and tough

living conditions Ant-Man pushed through the pain and wanted to succeed even more he started wearing the number five because both his mom and grandma passed away on the fifth of the month and he wanted to pay homage to them in every game he played however his road to success was far from Easy Anthony transferred from a public school to Holy Spirit Prep School to improve his academic performance he knew that if he wanted to stay eligible to practice and play basketball he needed to get the grades so he'd wake up earlier than post to make

an hour plus commute each way to his new school where he had to wear a uniform go to masks and where he felt completely out of place Edwards also reclassed to graduate earlier which would improve his chances of getting a scholarship and that meant he needed to take more classes with extra time in school basketball practice and private workouts with Holland Anthony was exhausted he didn't get an ounce of special treatment but one teacher realized how worn out he was and allowed him to sleep in her office during the day so he could be rested

for the late practice extremely tired from everything Edwards would just roll out on the carpet and fall asleep in seconds but all that hard work paid off he led his high school to a state championship as a junior and as a senior he averaged 29 Points and 10 rebounds per game after which he was considered a consensus top five recruit in the country and could choose wherever he wanted to go to college he eventually settled on the Georgia Bulldogs because he wanted to stay close to home but also because of coach Tom creen who previously

coached Dwayne Wade and Victor Oladipo players Edwards shared many similarities with um I mean they came in not highly rated so they came out a really good player and Dwayne way has had a really good career so it weigh big on me when he first arrived at training camp his vertical leap measured 39.5 in but because of his work ethic just two months later he improved it to 41.5 in his first college game Ant-Man scored 24 points nine rebounds and four steals breaking Dominique Wilkins record for the most points in a debut for the Bulldogs

Edwards also became the first Bulldog to score 37 points in a game since 1975 and after averaging 19 points five rebounds and three assists per game he was named the Freshman of the year in the Southeastern Conference although the NCAA season had to be canceled due to the pandemic Edward showed enough to be considered a top prospect but he was not a sure thing despite working tirelessly to improve his jump shot ant shot just 40% from the field and 29% from three in his lone season at Georgia and even with a shaky jumper Edwards too

often fell in love with shooting not knowing the difference between the shots he can take and the shots he should take he wasn't attacking the rim as much as he should based on his athleticism and wasn't exploiting mismatches Edwards was also a below average passer and defensively he often got beat due to a lack of focus and engagement another thing that didn't go in his favor was his indifferent approach to things and the fact that he said he'd give up basketball completely if he had a chance to play in the NFL but despite all those

question marks the tal he possessed was too tantalizing for the Minnesota Timberwolves who selected Edwards with the first overall pick with the first pick in the 20120 NBA draft the Minnesota Timberwolf select Anthony Edwards from the University of Georgia Anthony Edwards with his mother and grandmother with him there in spirit and when the 2021 season finally started after a long Hiatus due to the pandemic Ant-Man quickly proved that the wolves made the right choice because ant at his core was a professional bucket getter who could get his shot off against anybody even when he was

a rookie there wasn't much a Defender could do when Edwards got the ball in isolation his lightning quick first step and the ability to finish with both hands through contact made him a nightmare to guard when he turned on the Jets and because Edwards dribbles with both hands and can get his shot up from left and right dribbles it opens up great possibilities when attacking in addition Ant-Man was also able to knock down side step and step back jumpers which made him even more more unpredictable and if everything else failed Edward's athleticism could always bail

him out and some of his dunks were absolutely filthy as a rookie ant averaged 19 points five rebounds and three assists per game finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting behind lamelo ball and apart from his success on the court fans fell in love with his personality off the court unapologetically himself confident and full of youthful charm but I was four fifth hitter you know what that mean clean up yeah straight clean up on a three come come get it Ant-Man immediately became a star before his sophomore season Edwards grew because he was

still a teenager now measuring at 6'6 with a 6'9 wingspan and apart from being literally a bigger physical threat Edwards jumper began falling more regularly and in his second season he improved his effective fueld goal percentage from 49% to 53% averaging 21 points five rebounds and four assists but even more importantly he brought a winning attitude to the team and the Timberwolves made the playoffs for the first time in four years and only the second time since 2004 in his playoff debut against Memphis ant scored 36 points with six assists in a 1317 game one

win even though the Wolves eventually lost the Series in six games Edwards was the best scorer averaging 25 points and over 40% shooting for three this success prompted the Wolves management to cash in on the plethora of draft picks they accumulated over the years to maximize their potential while Ant-Man was still on a rookie deal so they traded for Rudy goar to bring a defensive presence inside and despite being the youngest player on the team at only 21 years ant became a team leader both on and off the court hey man we we still got

games to play I know we but we still got games to play Man in his third season Edwards led the Timberwolves in scoring with 24.6 points per game and his numbers improved across the board he also made the All-Star team for the first time but we actually were able to add two All Stars this year league called Anthony Edwards let go but just like he did a year before he saved his best for the playoffs very few players improve their numbers and efficiency in the postseason when defenses dial in and every possession matters and it's

even more rare that it happens for such a young player but that's exactly what Ant-Man did proving that he's the best when it matters the most in game two of the first round series against the Nuggets Edwards put up 41 points in a 122 113 loss which set a franchise record for the most points scored in a playoff game passing Sam cassel's previous record of 40 then in game three Edwards scored 36 points joining Kobe Bryant with the second most 30o playoff games before turning 22 in game four Edwards had 34 points six rebounds five

assists two Steals and three blocks and scored a crucial three-pointer to lead the Timberwolves to a 114 108 overtime win but there was no stopping yic that year and the Wolves lost in the first round again no and Denver survived with Edwards again leading all scorers in the series with 31 points per game and while the world mocked the Timberwolves for making the gobear trade which seemingly hurt the team's chemistry spacing and most importantly their winning percentage things changed in the 2324 season Minnesota won 56 games in the regular season their second best result ever

and Edwards further established himself as an NBA superstar with 26 five and five he improved in nearly all statistical categories and made the All-Star team and once again he raised his game in the playoffs where he further separated himself from other Allstars who routinely average fewer points and whose shooting percentages fall off a cliff in the postseason but Ant-Man is built differently in the first round against the Suns Edwards LED all scorers with 31 points per game shooting a crazy efficient 51% from the field and 44% from Deep he also LED Minnesota in assists and

steals proving wrong all the doubters who questioned his defensive focus and playmaking ability but even more important ly Min swept the Suns take tell them take them home which was their first series win in 20 years he also surpassed Kevin Garnett for the most 30-point playoff games in Timberwolves franchise history with eight and in the second round Ant-Man showed why you can never count him out against the Nuggets Minnesota won the first two games but after Denver rattled off three straight wins the series looked all but over the Minnesota Timberwolves have me looking like like

I have made the worst prediction in the history of my career then in game six ant was a two-way Menace he led all scorers with 27 points but the Wolves stifling defense really made the difference they had nine steals as a team and Edwards had three of them as they cruised to a 11570 Victory the Wolves carried that momentum into game seven and struggled on the offensive end but played phenomenal defense once again and manyi closed out the series away from home Anthony Edwards led the the Timberwolves back to the Conference finals for the first

time in 20 years their opponent was the Dallas Mavericks and after some amazing performances from Luca donic and Kyrie Irving they defeated Minnesota but Ant-Man won over the hearts of all NBA fans during the playoff run he has everything you want in a superstar confidence check high-scoring numbers and filling up the stat sheet check insane dunks and mesmerizing highlights check but on top of all that it's Edward's character that separates him from everybody else earr you got on right now fake they just look good so the shoes you got on right now not he real

in his interviews he doesn't stop smiling he never backs down and in a loss he takes responsibility and puts the blame on himself it was a little a step a step behind everybody especially myself um Kyrie got a transition layup from I think we scored and he just outran me I was just exhausted man so Anthony Edwards is him and it's surreal that he's only 22 years old with his insane work ethic he's continued to get better every season and we know for certain that on the biggest stage he's going to deliver every time thanks

for watching nonstop for more of the best NBA content check out our other videos on the screen now