Whether he’s talking about his eventual claim as the best basketball player alive, or expressing his desires to someday play in the NFL, Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards has never been one to bite his tongue or not speak his mind. Given how sports media has become a 24/7 operation that routinely overanalyzes everything that superstars say or do, Edwards’ fundamental lack of a filter is as refreshing as it is surprising. But you don’t need to just take my word for it. The large group of NBA superstars and championship-winning coaches who surround Edwards with Team USA feel the same way.

“He’s authentically himself,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said, according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “He’s not going to change. He’s going to be the same person every day, on the court, off the court. You see on TV, when some of y’all make these moments go viral. It’s really like, ‘This is just you.’ This is one of the things I love about Ant. He’s himself. He’s not going to change. He’s one of those guys where he can say something wild, as we heard, but it’s him being himself.”

What helps too is that when Anthony Edwards says “something wild” — like when he was asked about his place on Team USA, and Ant responded, “I’m still the No. 1 option. Y’all might look at it differently. I don’t look at it no differently” — he often times finds a way to back it up. So far throughout his career, Anthony Edwards has come damn close to walking the walk each and every time he talks the talk. And it helps too that all of the bravado is deeply rooted in Ant’s insatiable drive to win.

“He channels it in the right way. He wants to win, wants to be a part of winning,” Team USA assistant coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He’s dedicated to the process of it and he’s going to be him, and his personality. He’s not going to change just because he’s on a team of this caliber. I think that’s the beauty of his personality.”

For as self-assured as Anthony Edwards can be, at just 22-years-old, he’s still trying to soak up as much knowledge from his Team USA peers as he can.

“It’s been great being around Ant,” Durant said. “He’s like a sponge. He also has a lot of knowledge himself. … So he fits right in. I’m looking forward to actually getting on the court with him and being his teammate.”

© Candice Ward-USA TODAY SportsWill Anthony Edwards be the breakout star of the Olympics? 

With the beginning of the 2024 Summer Olympics less than two weeks away, Anthony Edwards is already giving off Charles Barkley in 1992 vibes. It feels like he’s bound to become the breakout star of the Olympics because, as Bam Adebayo pointed out, Anthony is authentically himself all the time, and people love authenticity. Anthony Edwards is the embodiment of authenticity.

Case in point: It takes someone who is very comfortable in their own skin to simultaneously express their desire, willingness and expectation to be the alpha dog on a team with LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and eight of the best basketball players in the world, while also acknowledging the nerves that come with playing on such a prestigious team.

“I was nervous for real, I ain’t gonna lie,” Edwards said after Team USA’s exhibition win over Canada earlier in the week. “I told ‘Bron [LeBron James] … I ain’t been nervous in a minute. My first time playing in the Olympics. I definitely was nervous. I don’t know what made me nervous. I was just nervous.”

If nerves were a factor, they certainly didn’t seem like it against Canada. In 19 minutes of action off the bench, Anthony Edwards scored a Team USA high 13 points on 6-for-10 shooting in the 86-72 win over a Canadian team that features a dozen players who have played in the NBA.

Next up for Team USA is another exhibition tune-up, this time versus the Australian National Team in Abu Dhabi on Monday afternoon. Don’t be surprised if now that the opening game jitters may no longer be a factor, Anthony Edwards is even better this time around.