Anthony Edwards had a stellar season as he led the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals.
Now it’s his turn to lead Team USA, he says.
The 22-year-old NBA All-Star was asked Sunday where he fits into Team USA’s roster as it prepares for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris. He plans to play the same role he did in Minnesota — as the team’s “No. 1 option.”
“I’m still the No. 1 option,” Edwards said Sunday while speaking to the media from Team USA’s training camp in Las Vegas. “You guys might look at it differently, but I don’t look at it differently.”
When asked what it would be like to play the No. 1 player on a squad featuring some of the greatest players of all time, Edwards remained confident.
“I just go out there and be myself,” Edwards continued. “I shoot my shots, play defense and, you know, they have to adjust to play with me. That’s how I feel.”
Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards on how he fits in with the U.S. basketball team: “I’m still the number one option. You guys might look at it differently. … They’ve got to adjust to me. That’s how I feel.” photo.twitter.com/Cga5kTiR2J
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) July 7, 2024
Edwards’ competition for “No. 1 option” will be stiff. Edwards is joined on Team USA by LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid. Those four players alone have won 10 NBA championships, eight league MVPs, seven Finals MVPs and nine NBA scoring titles.
Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard and Devin Booker are among the other top scorers set to take the field for Team USA in Paris. Edwards — the team’s youngest player — isn’t even guaranteed a starting spot in this lineup, let alone a prominent role as the No. 1 option.
Edwards is no stranger to this. He delivered his comments Sunday with a beaming smile, acknowledging the audacity of what he had just said. He knows that nothing will be handed to him on the world stage. So he plans to do it with the confidence that shaped his transformation from rising star to certified superstar last season.
What better stage could Edwards take than the Paris Olympics, among the best players in the world? While James, Curry, Durant and Embiid certainly have no intention of relinquishing their spotlight, they welcome Edwards’ confidence.
They wouldn’t reach their level if they didn’t play with that same confidence.