The Minnesota Timberwolves gave the San Antonio Spurs a fight through the first four games of their Western Conference semifinal playoff series. Then, the Spurs won Game 5 by 29 points and annihilated the Timberwolves by 30 points in Game 6 on Friday night, ending Minnesota’s season.
With eight minutes left in Game 6, the Timberwolves’ fate was already sealed, so All-Star guard Anthony Edwards made his way over to the Spurs’ bench to dap up his opponents. It was peculiar, if not unprecedented, and he was heavily criticized for it on Prime Video’s postgame show.
Edwards, 24, continued to generate headlines in his exit interview on Saturday.
When asked what the Timberwolves need to do to become a top contender in the Western Conference, Edwards said: “I don’t know, man. I don’t think that question is for me.”
When asked if the Timberwolves could still compete or needed to add another star to play alongside him, Edwards said: “I feel like we’re good.”
NBA fans keep clamoring for Edwards to take the mantle as the face of the league or carry himself as a more prototypical team leader. He does not want that. Deal with it.
During NBA All-Star Weekend in February 2025, Edwards told reporters that he didn’t see himself as the next face of the league because “that’s what they got Wemby for.” Edwards said something very similar at this February’s All-Star Media Day: “Man, them folks got [Victor] Wembanyama. They got Wembanyama. They’ll be alright.”
In 2024, Edwards called Kevin Durant his “favorite player of all time,” and he is basically made in Durant’s image in terms of demeanor. Durant made it abundantly clear throughout his legendary career that he wasn’t drawn to be a vocal team leader. He just wants to hoop and, hopefully, win. Edwards is in Minnesota to hoop. Not to be a media darling, though he often is by accident, or a de facto player-GM.
As Edwards said, Wembanyama looks to be the NBA’s next golden child — becoming the first-ever unanimous Defensive Player of the Year en route to the Western Conference Finals in his first playoff run this year. Wemby tells anyone who will listen that he wants to win as many individual accolades and championships as possible. Edwards wants to win, too, of course, but he doesn’t shout it from the mountaintops — just like Durant.
Since Minnesota made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Edwards has displayed the charisma and highlight-reel athleticism that have earned him comparisons to Michael Jordan.
The two-time All-NBA and four-time All-Star guard led the Timberwolves to two straight Western Conference Finals in 2024 and 2025. That’s already one more appearance than Kevin Garnett, the most famous and greatest Timberwolves player of all time, made in a Minnesota uniform — and Edwards is only 24. He isn’t behind schedule; he’s just being graded on the wrong curve.
Edwards isn’t the mercenary that Durant became after leaving Oklahoma City in 2016 to win his two championships in Golden State. Durant has now played for three teams since 2020, and may be looking for his fourth this summer. But Durant stayed in Oklahoma City for the first nine seasons of his career before chasing a championship elsewhere. Edwards could eventually get that same itch and depart Minneapolis in due time.
For now, Edwards is the face of the Timberwolves. And that seems to be enough for him. Why isn’t it enough for everybody else?
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