Anthony Edwards actually 'hates' the part of his game fans love most
By Will Eudy
There is no question that Anthony Edwards has risen to the top of the list of biggest NBA superstars, and Minnesota Timberwolves fans could not be happier. Along with Edwards' rise to stardom has been the Wolves' return to the national spotlight, and their place among the true elite championship contenders in the Western Conference.
But if you need further proof of Edwards' notoriety, look no further than the newly-released Netflix documentary, Starting 5. The show features five prominent NBA players and follows their unique journeys through the 2023-24 season.
Alongside Jimmy Butler, Jayson Tatum, LeBron James, and Domantas Sabonis, Anthony Edwards was featured as one of the main stars of the 10-part documentary. Fans in Minnesota who have not yet tuned into the show will be thrilled to see their franchise player prominently featured.
One of the most interesting Starting 5 bits concerning Edwards comes at the beginning of the second episode. When asked how much he likes to dunk, Ant revealed a shocking answer.
"I don't like to dunk at all, to be honest," he said. "Because it hurts."
Anthony Edwards does not enjoy his ferocious dunks
This is an extremely surprising perspective, especially given the amount of memorable dunks Edwards has in just his four-year career. From day one in the NBA, Ant made a name for himself as a high-flying, peak-athleticism talent, rising above the rim and giving "no regard for human life" as Kevin Harlan famously says.
Who could forget the monster dunk over Yuta Watanabe in 2021, where Edwards essentially introduced himself to the league? Or his insane-degree-of-difficulty slam over Gabe Vincent later that year that nearly broke the internet? We could go on, but Ant has more memorable dunks than probably any player in the association at this point.
But even though Edwards does not enjoy dunking due to the pain on his hands, he did make one admission.
"I like to dunk on people," he said. "I want the fans to just be like, 'oh, f---, we couldn't stop him tonight.'"
It certainly makes sense that Ant takes pride in dunking on opponents, because he rarely passes up on an opportunity to punch one on someone's head.
The show-stopping poster on John Collins from this past season comes to mind right away. One underrated aspect of Edwards' dunks is that he knows how to control his body, and he almost always makes a soft landing for himself, even after the most vicious of slams.
Many Timberwolves fans will be surprised to hear that Ant does not take as much joy in his dunks as the fanbase does, but they can rest assured that he still relishes every chance to put someone new on a poster.