Friday felt like a night where the Minnesota Timberwolves finally got the figurative monkey off their back. Their extensive list of problems is far from fully solved, but breaking their losing streak of four games felt like it was sitting at the top of the list. They did just that with their clutch 93-92 win over the LA Clippers at Target Center.
Perhaps an outsider criticizing the Wolves would think that this win was just one of those "a broken clock is right twice a day" scenarios, but truly it was not. Minnesota fought hard and finally made plays down the stretch to get it done against a Clippers team that has been a tough out this season.
After the win, Anthony Edwards spoke with reporters in the locker room. In doing so, he spoke about chatting it up with James Harden. The two are of course fierce competitors on the hardwood, but there is something of a special bond between Edwards and Harden off the court that Ant explained to media.
"That's my man, I've been a fan of Harden since I was in high school," said Edwards. "He wrote me when I was in like high school on Instagram, and we've just been locked in ever since. That's my man. Yeah, I was just talking a little trash to him."
Anthony Edwards says he had fun talking a little trash with James Harden but Ant quickly adds he’s always been a big admirer of Harden ever since James hit up Ant when he was young #Timberwolves pic.twitter.com/8SY7yq7uBO
— Pierre Noujaim (@TheNoujFOX9) November 30, 2024
Edwards talked about how much he admires James Harden
This is a cool story to hear from one of the current faces of the NBA. Edwards worked hard to get to where he is, but it is wild to think that one of the former faces of the league was a big influence in him getting here. One reporter asked what it was like for Harden to reach out to Ant at such a young age in high school, and Edwards confirmed how significant the connection was.
"That's when he was at his peak," said Edwards. "That was dope ... It didn't mean too much to me but it was just super dope for him to take time out of his day because I know how busy people are, because I'm the same way. So, he took time out of his day to hit me up on Instagram, just like, 'keep going young fella,' and I was like, 'for sure.' "
From one former league MVP to another future one, perhaps. Sports are all about camaraderie and building your peers up, and this was a beautiful display of togetherness from Harden. Like Edwards said, Harden is a busy man, and was likely even more caught up with life during his MVP-level years. For him to give some encouragement to a bright young talent says a lot about Harden's heart for the younger generation and for growing the game of basketball.