Anthony Edwards is not only one of the best young players in the game, but he also talks trash and doesn’t back down from a challenge. On the court, nobody is immune from hearing what the Timberwolves star has to say. Not even his teammates, the first-ballot Hall of Famer in the future.
In an interview held at the official opening of Raising Cane’s new downtown Boston store, Jrue Holiday was asked who on Team USA’s Olympic squad was the best trash talker. The star player for the Celtics quickly responded, saying:
“Anthony Edwards. 100%…He’s a great player and you’ll see him trash-talking for a very, very long time.”
It would be reasonable for the guard to refrain from disparaging players such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant in such a setting. But it didn’t seem to be the case. Even in team practice scrimmages, the youthful guard shows little care for the reputation of his opponent.
“Anthony Edwards. 100%.”
Jrue Holiday when asked who was the biggest talker on USA Basketball during their Olympic run 😅
(via @JustinmTurpin)pic.twitter.com/0AuxccO7Wl
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 28, 2024
Center Rudy Gobert had little hope if his teammates on Team USA weren’t protected from verbal abuse. Edwards verbally attacked the four-time Defensive Player of the Year during the gold medal match against France. The 23-year-old had made it clear before to the game that he and his Timberwolves teammate were having a friendly rivalry. He continued, “They have a great rapport, so they won’t take the jokes too far.” Edwards stated:
“He loves playing every year for France. He looks forward to it. Midseason, we were talking trash to each other. I am looking forward to playing against France.”
Anthony Edwards has a nasty streak in him
Durant knew, as Gobert did, that the rising star would not hold back when it came to trash talk. The four-time Olympic gold medallist was the target of Edwards’ most well-known verbal abuse. The guard banked a three-pointer over Durant in Game 1 of the Suns vs. Timberwolves first-round playoff match in 2024, and he started bashing him in the face right after. The old hand couldn’t help grinning.
The two-time Finals MVP brushed down the incident and said he wasn’t disturbed after the game. Durant was probably not shocked by Edwards’ trash-talking during Team USA’s practices since he had seen how fearless the player was.
It served as a forewarning to the remaining stars. Their time together in Paris will always be remembered, as will the memories they made there. That won’t stop Edwards from trash-talking them, though, when he plays against them in the upcoming NBA season.
