INDIANAPOLIS – The computer was opened and set on a chair in front of a classroom of locked-in student-athletes. The intrigued young adults suddenly squinted their eyes to focus on a laptop screen for a surprise. Suddenly, NBA All-Star Anthony Edwards was live.
The excited attendees immediately jumped from their seats and ran toward the computer as if the Minnesota Timberwolves star was actually there.
“Oh my God. I was crossing my fingers that we would have some type of interaction and sure enough, it happened,” IUPUI guard/forward Tahlia Walton told Andscape. “So, that was incredible. It is always exciting to see someone of that status right in front of us. That was really tight regardless of what it is. It could’ve been a phone call.
“Just to be in the presence of him was absolutely amazing.”
That was Edwards’ first official appearance in what was an event-filled NBA All-Star Weekend.
Edwards and business manager Justin Holland started the Don’t Follow the Wave initiative with a “mission to educate student-athletes on sports business career options that allow them to maximize their potential while pursuing passions.” On Feb. 16, Holland hosted a career workshop centered around sports and entertainment at a community center called P30. The participating students were selected by SEEN, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating events and opportunities for African American and Hispanic professionals in the sports and entertainment industry.
Edwards wasn’t able to be present because he had to attend to a private family manner back in Minneapolis before departing Friday night to Indianapolis.
Said Edwards to Andscape: “I wish I was there. I had to handle something at the crib. But it was a great event. Those kids impacting the community is big time for sure. I’m all about that, also. It was dope.”
Holland, WME basketball executive Joe Branch, adidas’ global sports marketing’s Pierre Jordan and HEIR founder Jeron Smith offered words of wisdom to the student-athletes. Holland also spent time with the participants afterwards to answer more questions as well. Edwards told Andscape he plans to make this mentoring event annual at NBA All-Star Weekend.
“Everything that I’ve tried to do from my perspective is with the importance of his family name and the legacy that he’s leaving here on Earth,” Holland said about Edwards. “A lot of people think really shortsighted when it comes to being a good basketball player. Everything is basketball, basketball. He’s always honored his mom. Even with his [No. 5] jersey number, he honored his mom and grandmother with his first shoe with their favorite colors, peach and pink.
“So now, how can we also impact the community and these young adults that have opportunity to be great just like he became? I’ve been a college student who didn’t have any money. A scholarship would make a difference. So how can we impact that next generation? We always just want to give back to that.”
Walton, an IUPUI grad student, was awarded a $1,500 stipend for having the best essay. The stipend was in honor of Edwards’ late mother, Yvette. Walton, who earned a bachelor’s degree at Kentucky Wesleyan, is hopeful to be a journalist one day. She believes the career workshop helped her better figure out her path and meet some mentors.
“I’m a first-generation college student,” Walton said. “I will be a first-generation for a masters [degree]. I’m kind of the guideline coming up for my family. I have six siblings that are younger than me so I want to make sure I’m a good example for them. And I can help lead them since I don’t really have anyone to lead me. I’ve taken every opportunity that has come my way to try to figure out what I need to do.”
Marc J. Spears/Andscape
When it comes to Edwards’ business pursuits, there is no one he trusts more than Holland. Holland has been Edwards’ trainer since he was 14 years old entering high school and has been his trusted confidante ever since. Edwards and Holland launched Three Fifths Media in 2019 to produce documentaries and other sports shows.
It’s not uncommon to hear the two-time NBA All-Star defer to Holland when asked about his off-court business. Led by Holland, Edwards is also working through representation agency WME to launch a charitable foundation for those in need in Minnesota and his hometown of Atlanta.
Holland would have never guessed in the beginning that Edwards would have become an NBA star. But today he is very meticulous on navigating Edwards’ future and said they are “solid because they have been in the trenches together.”
“His uncle and a good friend of mine, they brought him into the gym to actually train with me, and the introduction came from them telling me he had just lost his mother and grandmother at 14,” Holland said. “So, when I initially heard it, it was first I was like, ‘Oh man, let me make sure this kid is good.’ It wasn’t just a training in my mind, it wasn’t just a thing where I was like just asking. It was mostly just surround this kid, make sure I pour positivity into him to make sure he can turn out to be a good young man.
“When I met him, it was more so of mentor protecting him. But at the same time, we are always building with the community. I’m always a pay-it-forward type of guy. Just making sure that we always focus on the right things. Not necessarily the things that glitter the most, but the things that are more impactful from is on the court.”
Foot Locker
Edwards arrived in Indianapolis late Friday night in a private jet from Minneapolis in the midst of a chilly blizzard. He missed an adidas party that included appearances from NBA All-Star Trae Young, WNBA star Candace Parker, former NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins, New Orleans Pelicans star CJ McCollum and more.
In the early hours of Saturday morning, Edwards enthusiastically took part in singing and dancing to old school R&B and hip-hop while in a Sprinter van on the way to a packed nightspot called Sei Less. Edwards and Co., however, stayed less than a half-hour.
“[Edwards] can actually sing a little bit,” said Nicholas Maddox, Edward’s best friend and high school basketball teammate.
Edwards felt a greater sense of belonging when he was named a 2024 NBA All-Star. He made his first NBA All-Star appearance last year, but it was after being named an injury replacement. This time, Edwards was voted in as a West reserve by the conference’s head coaches after averaging 26.3 points, 5.3 assists and 5.2 rebounds for the Timberwolves this season.
The Timberwolves have never been to the NBA Finals since joining the league in 1989. Edwards said the Timberwolves made a “statement” by entering the NBA All-Star Break with a West-best 36-17 record. Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch and his coaching staff were rewarded with coaching the West All-Stars. Minnesota forward Karl-Anthony Towns was named an All-Star as well.
Edwards appears to be much more worried about winning in Minneapolis than following Wolves legend Kevin Garnett’s footsteps in being an NBA Most Valuable Player. “For me, it’s an All-Star Game, so I will never look at it as being super competitive,” Edwards said Sunday.
“I just go out and try to win and put on for the Timberwolves and the whole organization, the whole city of Minneapolis. I never think about it individually. Would I want to be the face of the league? It’s not really big in my mind. I want to win and bring a championship in Minnesota.”
After fighting through icy traffic, Edwards, Maddox and several members of WME arrived fashionably late to a shoe appearance at the Foot Locker Experience on Saturday afternoon. Edwards and his security guards also had to strategically guide him through an ecstatic crowd to promote his first signature shoe, the AE1. Portland Trail Blazers rookie guard Scoot Henderson was in the midst of a Puma appearance 50 feet away, too.
An enthusiastic Edwards spent about 30 minutes playing a basketball shooting game and more with participating kids.
“When I got up there he said you better beat my score of 19,” Kentrell Branch from Brandon, Mississippi, said. “He said to be patient while you shoot and follow your shots. I’m happy, very happy. He is one of my favorite players.”
Marc J. Spears/Andscape
Marc J. Spears/Andscape
Edwards’ debut adidas signature shoe and the event space were colored uniquely in a cream orange “With Love” colorway in tribute of his late mother and grandmother. Edwards has done numerous things to honor his mother and grandmother, who both died of cancer in 2015 when he was in the eighth grade, but he prefers not to talk publicly about them.
“Home means everything,” Maddox said. “The peach is a mixture of his mom and grandma’s favorite color. So that’s where the first shoe was inspired from. But peach going back to Georgia, man — hey, it’s everything to us.”
NBA fans love Edwards because his Michael Jordan-type game includes high-flying dunks, high-scoring games and deep shots with a high degree of difficulty. Fan also love him because of his fun-loving personality and wry sense of humor. He signed a five-year, $207 million deal last offseason with the possibility of reaching $260 million. After the Timberwolves’ rise and starring for USA Basketball last summer, the fascination and familiarity with Edwards is growing.
So, is Edwards’ growing stardom and the pressures that come with it overwhelming at times?
“Sometimes. I just have to get away, go home and just turn my phone off. It’s definitely a lot, but it’s definitely cool,” Edwards said. “It’s something I asked for. It’s something I’ve worked for, so I can’t try to hide in the shadows. But it’s fun for me man. I enjoy it for sure.”
Even with the rise in stardom and money, Maddox says Edwards hasn’t changed since they played high school basketball together in Atlanta.
“His bluntness with me personally, the fact that we don’t have filters with each other, I can appreciate something like that,” Maddox said. “I think anybody would. But somebody who’s going to always give it to you straight, who really cares about your well-being, that’s one thing I can appreciate out of any friend…
“It’s just really being true to himself. Being that same authentic guy. He’s been the same guy, treated everybody well.”
With his brother, sister, Holland or Maddux, Edwards loves the camaraderie, honesty and love they share with one another.
“I need people like that. I need that around me,” Edwards told Andscape. “I don’t have any ‘Yes Men’ around me. If I’m doing something wrong, they’re going to let me know every time. And I need that. You don’t want any ‘Yes Men’ around you, because you are led in the wrong direction.”
After the Foot Locker event, Edwards also made a brief appearance at the third-annual Boardroom x Coinbase Brunch hosted by All-Star Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman, co-founders of Boardroom. The brunch brought together a diverse group of influential leaders across sports, music, entertainment and business, including All-Star Devin Booker; NBA players Myles Turner and Chet Holmgren; WNBA stars A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd and Sabrina Ionescu; journalist Gayle King; comedian Lilly Singh; rappers Fabolous, Yung Miami, GloRilla, and Anuel AA; and UnitedMasters CEO Steve Stoute.
Boardroom
Justin Casterline/Getty Images
The right-handed Edwards said he was planned to shoot only with his left hand during the NBA All-Star Game. Edwards might have been inspired from watching a video of former Boston Celtics star Larry Bird, who was right-handed, shoot 10 of his 34 shots left-handed en route to 47 points against the Portland Trail Blazers on Feb. 14, 1986. Edwards practiced his shots left-handed during Saturday morning’s practice at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Edwards, however, missed all three of his field goal attempts shooting left-handed during the Skills Challenge while teaming up with former No. 1 picks Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs) and Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic) on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium. One of Edward’s left-handed 3-pointers hit the side of the backboard.
“It didn’t look good, but it look better tomorrow. I need to sleep. I need to sleep on my shoulder a little bit more,” Edwards said after the event.
As for “Wembanyama’s response on Edwards left-handed shooting: “You wanna have fun. Fun is winning.”
Edwards said that he planned on enjoying his Saturday night celebrating the birthday of his older brother Antoine Edwards.
“Ant-Man” was raised by his sister Antoinette and brother Antoine, who shared legal custody over him and his other brother, Antony. While Anthony Edwards doesn’t drink or smoke, he did enjoy a fun night of people watching with his brother, sister and friends at Invy Night Club while drinking Fiji Water and Red Bull. Waitress with sparklers brought the non-alcoholic drinks to his private table. Edwards also is known not to be frivolous with his money.
“It’s an All-Star Game, so I don’t really care about how many hours I sleep. It’s my brother’s birthday, so I don’t think I’m going to get that much sleep tonight,” Edwards said Saturday night.
Holland said Edwards spent most of the day Sunday prior to departing to the NBA All-Star Game relaxing at his Westin Hotel. He did get a workout in with Javair Gillett, Timberwolves vice president of sports science and player performance. Edwards and Maddox arrived in the arena together for the game at about 5:50 p.m. to an entourage of social media influencers taking pictures and video.
Maddox admits he is enjoying being part of the NBA limelight with his “best friend.”
“Every day I get to wake up man, I get to see my best friend go at it versus the best in the world. I get to see him inspire the next generation — using your platform the right way, not for self, but to bring unity,” Maddox said.
“We [the Minnesota Timberwolves] want to put the world and the league on notice that we ain’t just some team who can win a couple games in the regular season and go to the postseason and not perform.”
– Anthony Edwards
Edwards scored on a dunk and layup and attempted a half-court shot at the first-quarter buzzer as the West finished the first quarter down 53-47. None of the field goal attempts were left-handed on this quiet night, as he had four points, one rebound and one assist in 12 minutes during the East’s 211-186 victory. Edwards said he had a minor knee ailment which played a role in Finch limiting his minutes.
Edwards enjoyed seeing Towns score 50 points for the West in 28 minutes. Towns said that Anthony and West guard Stephen Curry were keeping him abreast about how close he was to scoring 50. It was also the highest scoring NBA All-Star Game ever.
“My boy [Towns] had 50 tonight, so I had a great day,” Edwards said. “It is fun being out there with your brother celebrating each other. We both were excited for each other.”
After talking to the media, a gleeful Edwards walked up to Finch’s media session and asked two questions about the West’s shot selection and giving up a record 211 points.
“We don’t have to talk about the defense,” Finch said about the second question with a smile.
Next up for Edwards was a scheduled private jet to Miami to enjoy the final two days of his All-Star Break. He said that while he planned to relax in the Miami sun, he was going to work out as well to stay in shape. And once refreshed and back in Minneapolis, the NBA All-Star’s focus will be on making history with his Timberwolves.
“We’re trying to make a loud statement,” Edwards said. “We got a home stretch coming up like seven or eight games. We want to win all seven of those games. We want to put the world and the league on notice that we ain’t just some team who can win a couple games in the regular season and go to the postseason and not perform.”
