Getty Team USA guard Anthony Edwards.
Sometimes it’s important to just believe what your eyes tell you — in this case that Team USA superstar and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards really is that dude.
Edwards drew comparisons to none other than Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan with a windmill dunk in the fourth quarter of Team USA’s 104-83 win over Puerto Rico to close out pool play in the Paris Olympics.
The official FIBA account on X posted a photo after the game of Edwards’ dunk side-by-side with one of Jordan’s most iconic signature looks — flying through the air, tongue out, ball cocked back in his right hand.
“I will let photos speak for themselves,” the FIBA account wrote.
Team USA went 3-0 in pool play and earned the top seed in the medal round, which begins Aug. 6 against Brazil. Edwards scored 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting, including 15 points in his first 10 minutes.
I will let photos speak for themselves 🫢
Edwards Might Be NBA’s Next Superstar Player
Edwards, who turn 23 years old on Aug. 5, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft after one season at Georgia.
His potential hasn’t come sharply into focus until the last few seasons.
Edwards is coming off his first All-NBA Team selection in 2024 and signed a 5-year, $244.1 million contract extension with the Timberwolves in July 2023. NBA history tells us Edwards will be in his prime when his current contract runs out following the 2027-28 season — meaning his next contract will likely pay him over $70 million per season.
In 2023-24, Edwards averaged 25.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists as Minnesota advanced to the Western Conference Finals, where they lost to the Dallas Mavericks.
Before 2024, the Timberwolves hadn’t advanced past the first round of the playoffs since making the Western Conference finals in 2004 — the same year Kevin Garnett was named NBA Most Valuable Player — and included a 13-year stretch with no playoff appearances from 2005 to 2018.
Edwards Might Be Future of Team USA
Edwards is the youngest player on Team USA and in his first Olympics alongside a group of veterans who have won multiple Olympic gold medals or are trying for their second Olympic gold medal.
That’s not to say Edwards has been deferring to his elders, brazenly declaring himself the team’s top scoring option when they gathered for training camp in Las Vegas.
“I’m still the No. 1 option,” Edwards said when asked about his role on Team USA. “Y’all might look at it differently, but I don’t. I just go out there and be myself. … Shoot my shots, play defense. They’ve got to fit in to play around me. That’s how I feel.”
Edwards has been closer to Team USA’s No. 3 option behind leading scorer LeBron James and Kevin Durant, Edwards’ boyhood idol. Both James and Durant are trying to win a third Olympic gold medal. Edwards is also one of several Team USA players making their Olympic debuts alongside Stephen Curry, Derrick White, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Haliburton.
Only five players return to Team USA from the team that won a gold medal at the 2020 Olympics: Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker, Durant, Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday.
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Team USA Superstar’s Jaw-Dropping Dunk Draws Comparisons to Jordan