Whether it’s on the court, on the big screen, or playing Madden, Anthony Edwards never lacks confidence. As he said back in 2020, “whatever you need me to do… I bet I’ll be A1 from day one” and Ant Man has abided by those words. In his sophomore campaign, Edwards averaged 21 points per game to go along with just under five rebounds and four assists per game. The Minnesota Timberwolves young star is fresh off a breakout playoff showing in his debut postseason and he’s primed for a special third year in the association. Off the court, Edwards or “Kermit Wilts” to some has been just as active starring in the movie Hustle as the arch nemesis to the main character, Bo Cruz played by Raptors forward Juancho Hernangomez. Confidence has been the backbone to Edwards’ success and he attributes that to his brothers.
“Just from being a kid. I’ve always felt like I’m the best at everything I did,” Edwards says. “My brothers made me feel like that. Going against them made me feel like I was best person in the world. That’s my confidence. I get it from my brothers.”
We chatted with the No. 1 pick of the 2020 NBA draft for a few minutes to discuss his latest big screen moment and partnership with Sprite. Edwards joined Trae Young as the new faces of Sprite to promote the company’s new look. Beginning August 1, Sprite’s iconic green bottles will transition to clear plastic, the first major update within the company in 60 years. Edwards and Young starred in a new commercial that pays homage to the 2010 Sprite commercial featuring Drake.
(This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.)
How did the partnership with Sprite come about?
My agent just called me and asked me if I wanted to be the new face of Sprite? I was like ‘yeah, why not after seeing all the dope commercials on TV when I was kid.’ I’m hyped to help introduce the next era of Sprite’s legacy. Sprite is shaking things up with its new clear bottles that embrace the same classic lemon-lime taste, now only in a bottle that’s made to be remade again.
The commercial you got to show more of your acting skills, what was it like paying homage to the classic Drake commercial we all grew up on?
It was dope man especially them showing me the commercial when his face broke out and it brought memories of watching like all the NBA games when the Sprite commercial would come on. It’s surreal, I can’t even describe it to be paying homage to Drake and Sprite.
You’ve showed your acting skills all summer, are we gonna see more of you on the big screen soon?
I hope so man. I hope I get more deals so I can show off my acting skills. I’m a pretty good actor.
You going for an Oscar?
Yeah, I’m trying to get some awards in that too.
Whether it’s you playing Madden against Chibatta or you on the court, you always seem like the most confident dude, where does that come from?
Just from being a kid. I’ve always felt like I’m the best at everything I did. My brothers made me feel like that. Going against them made me feel like I was best person in the world. That’s my confidence. I get it from my brothers.
Going into your third season, what are your expectations individually?
Me personally, I want to be an All-Star Starter. I want my averages to go up. I want to win a lot of games and go deep into the playoffs.
Speaking of the playoffs, do you still think of your loss to the Grizzlies and feel like y’all gave the series away?
Man, I feel like we handed it to them man. It was like taking candy from a baby and they took the candy. We had every game won man and I don’t know what happened. I don’t know what happened.
KAT said y’all are championship or bust team this year, you agree and why?
For sure. Adding Rudy puts that pressure on us. I agree with that.
Did you see Draymond Green laughing at that?
Nah, I didn’t see it. Haha, you know Draymond a fool man. He’s gonna put his two cents on anybody’s comment.
You know Twitter is gonna Twitter and they did bring back the video where you said Rudy Gobert doesn’t put fear into your heart. Now that he’s your teammate, what do you think of Rudy?
Haha, nah he’s dope. He’s going to make it hard for everybody at the rim and that’s what we needed so I think it’s a great move.
With stars like LeBron and KD’s careers coming to an end, the league is looking for that new face. Do you think you can be the face of the NBA?
Oh yeah, 100 percent. Sure. I mean it comes with time and it comes with work and dedication. I feel like I got all three of those things and I feel like it’s going to take me over the top.
On that note, where do you rank yourself amongst the best players in the league. Do you think you still need time to be in that best player category?
Yeah for sure. I need another year. After this year, I think I’ll be in the (best player) conversation.
So after this upcoming season, you’ll be in the convo for best player in the league?
Yeah for sure.
We’ve seen you venture outside of basketball. We’ve seen the movie and now Sprite commercial, what’s your personal goal outside of hooping?
I want to get 300 in bowling. I want to get 13 strikes in a row. That’s my goal this summer.
So you’re really the best at every sport?
I’m the most confident person in the world. I feel like I’m the best at every sport right now.
We recently talked to Justin Jefferson and spoke to him about the both of you being the faces of Minnesota sports, similar to KG and Randy Moss, have you met Justin?
Nah, we got our own type of swag. I haven’t met him yet but he’s dope. I went to a game and watched him score. He got his own swag and I like it.
