Anthony Edwards

At 22 years old, Anthony Edwards has this physical status:

Anthony Edwards (born August 5, 2001) is an American college basketball player for the Georgia Bulldogs of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

Listed at 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) and 225 pounds (102 kg), he plays the shooting guard position.

He is widely projected to be a top-three pick in the 2020 NBA draft, with many analysts calling him a potential first overall pick in the draft.Edwards finished his high school career at Holy Spirit Preparatory School in his hometown of Atlanta, where he was rated a consensus five-star recruit and the number one player in the 2019 class by 247Sports.

In his senior season, he earned McDonald's All-American and USA Today All-USA first team honors.

In 2019, he committed to Georgia as the best recruit in program history.

Early life

Edwards spent his early life in Atlanta, Georgia. When he was three years old, he was given the nickname "Ant-Man" by his father. For much of his childhood, Edwards played football at the running back, quarterback, and cornerback positions. He played youth football for the Atlanta Vikings and became one of the best Pop Warner running backs in the country by age 10. However, Edwards switched his focus to basketball because he "thought it looked more fun" after watching his brothers play the sport. He often played basketball against his brothers at their grandmother's house. Entering ninth grade, he began training under the guidance of Justin Holland, a former college basketball player for Liberty and an Atlanta-based basketball trainer.

Personal life

Edwards' mother, Yvette, and grandmother, Shirley, both died from cancer during an eight-month span in 2015, when he was in eighth grade. He has worn the No. 5 basketball jersey since high school to honor them, as they both died on the fifth day of the month. As a result, Edwards was raised by his sister, Antoinette, and brother, Antoine, who shared legal custody over him. In high school, Edwards frequently worked as an instructor at a number of youth camps. He intended to major in marketing while attending the University of Georgia.

During his childhood, Edwards also starred in baseball, often acting as his team's fourth or fifth hitter in the batting order. Edwards has also jokingly expressed how he was very skilled at a variety of sports when he was younger. He owns two dogs and has also expressed his affinity for lions, although he does not believe he has the requisite space to care for one.

Edwards made his acting debut in the 2022 sports drama film Hustle. His performance in the film as the main antagonist, Kermit Wilts, was praised by many, including the film’s producer and star Adam Sandler.

In September 2022, the NBA fined Edwards $40,000 for posting a video on September 10 in which he called a group of shirtless men "queer". The next day, he posted an apology, stating, "What I said was immature, hurtful, and disrespectful, and I'm incredibly sorry."

Source

High school career

Edwards was regarded as a four-star recruit by Rivals in 2016 after his success with the Atlanta Xpress 15-under Amateur Athletic Union team. As a member of Therrell High School in Atlanta, he started playing high school basketball for the 2019 class. Edwards enrolled in early January 2017 and was reclassified to the 2020 class. He made the change in an attempt to raise his academic results, considering that Holy Spirit Preparatory had "limited class sizes and assistance to assist in this."

Edwards assisted Holy Spirit Preparatory in defeating The Heritage School of the Georgia Independent School Association (GISA) Class AAA state championship in March 2018. After experiencing academic growth, he was reclassified to the 2019 class in November 2018. Edwards then climbed to the top-one recruiter in the Top247 rankings by recruiting website 247Sports. Despite Edwards' 27 points, his team finished runners-up to The Heritage School in his senior season. He was averaging 29 points, nine rebounds, and two assists per game at the end of the season. Edwards was named on the USA Today First Team and MaxPreps All-American fourth team, respectively. In March and April 2019, respectively, he participated in the McDonald's All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic.

Edwards was rated a top-five recruit, top-five player, and the top shooting guard in the 2019 class by consensus among major recruiting firms 247Sports, ESPN, and Rivals. On February 11, 2019, he committed to play college basketball for Georgia, making him the program's best recruit in the modern recruiting period. Edwards preferred the Bulldogs over those from Florida State, Kansas, Kentucky, and North Carolina. Edwards was drawn to Georgia because two of his favorite players, Dwyane Wade and Victor Oladipo, had been coached in college by head coach Tom Crean.

College career

Edwards made his Georgia Bulldogs debut on November 5, 2019, scoring 24 points, nine rebounds, and four steals in a 91–72 victory over Western Carolina. It was the most points by a Georgia freshman debutant since the Basketball Hall of Fame inducted Dominique Wilkins in 1979. In a 93–85 loss to third-ranked Michigan State at the Maui Invitational, he scored a season-high 37 points, including 33 in the second half, with six rebounds, four steals, and three blocks. Edwards was the first Georgia freshman to score at least 37 points in a game since Jacky Dorsey in 1975. With 24 points and made the game-winning shot against NCAA Division II team Chaminade, he led all scorers and made the game-winning shot.

Edwards won 63-48 over Texas A&M on February 1, 2020, scoring 29 points and 15 rebounds, both game-highs. In an 81-75 loss to Florida, he led all scorers with 32 points. In a 94-90 overtime victory over South Carolina, Edwards scored 36 points and collected seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals. He averaged 19.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game as a freshman. Edwards was both the top scorer on his team and among freshman nationally. He was named second-team All-SEC and SEC Freshman of the Year in second-team. During the season, Edwards received four SEC Freshman of the Week awards, the most in program history. He was also one of five finalists for the Jerry West Award, which honors the best collegiate shooting guard.

Edwards declared himself one of the most coveted prospects in his class on March 20, 2020, in the spring of his freshman year. He hired an agent, avoiding his remaining college basketball eligibility.

Professional career

Due to the COVID-neumic pandemic, the 2020 NBA draft was postponed by five months. Edwards was voted the No. 1 in November 2020 by the No. 76ers. The Minnesota Timberwolves' top pick of the year. In a 111-101 victory over the Detroit Pistons on December 23, 2020, Edwards made his NBA debut, scoring 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in 25 minutes. Edwards scored a career-high 42 points, as well as seven rebounds and three assists in a game against the Phoenix Suns on March 18, 2021, becoming the third youngest player to score 40+ points in NBA history. Edwards finished second in Rookie of the Year voting and was selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team following his season.

Edwards scored a career-high 48 points on seven three-pointers in a 123-110 loss to the Golden State Warriors on November 10, 2021. Edwards made history by scoring 2,000 points in his first 100 games at age 20 or younger on December 15, 2021, joining LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Luka Doni, and Zion Williamson. Edwards played for over ten years in a game, scoring 10 three-pointers and receiving 300 assists in his first 100 games. Edwards became the first NBA player to score 40 points, nine rebounds, three steals, and five three-pointers in a single game on January 25, 2022, 2022. Edwards won by 127–121 over the San Antonio Spurs on April 7, 2022, scoring a career-high 49 points.

In Edwards' playoff debut on April 16, 2022, he scored 36 points and six assists in a 130–117 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs. Despite Edwards' 30-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist, 2-steal, and 2-block outing in Game 6, Minnesota will lose to Memphis.

Source