Anthony Edwards is by no means a perfect man, but the one thing he doesn’t lack is confidence. The Minnesota Timberwolves star has exuded irrational belief in himself far before he stepped on an NBA floor. And that belief in himself isn’t only regarding basketball, it transcends across sports.
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In Edwards‘ rookie season, he infamously went on record stating he could play any sport at a professional level. Of course, he focused his attention on basketball. However, that competitive spirit would arise during his time with Team USA during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Edwards began to make headlines for his support of the Team USA table tennis team. It all began during the opening ceremony of the tournament, when Stephen Curry brought the team to Edwards. He stated that the team would beat Edwards 21-0. To no surprise, Edwards adamantly shut down that outcome.
“I got some people talking about they’re going to beat me in ping pong 21-0. I don’t believe it,” Edwards proclaimed.
That brief encounter led to an unexpected relationship between the two Olympic teams. Edwards went on to support the American table tennis team at their Olympic matches whenever he could.
Unfortunately, Edwards wasn’t able to duel against one of the Olympians in 2024. However, that opportunity has finally presented itself. In a recent episode of Serious Business with Anthony Edwards, Olympian Lily Zhang reunited with the three-time All-Star.
Edwards has viewed Zhang in high regard since meeting her. “She is the best to me,” Edwards said. Although he has high respect for Zhang, Edwards always aspired to be able to defeat her in her own sport.
As fate would have it, Edwards manifested it into reality. he began to prepare to duel Zhang, with NFL legend Marshawn Lynch in attendance. Zhang showed a bit of kindness by training the two before the anticipated match.
Edwards warmed up against Lynch, which resulted in an 11-4 victory in favor of the 6-foot-4 guard. Of course, the two trash-talked throughout their entire battle.
After getting himself loose, Edwards believed he was ready for Zhang. Lily decided to make the matchup more even by giving Edwards a 10-point cushion in a game up to 11.
Zhang didn’t allow Edwards to take the lead for granted. At a moment’s notice, she strung together 5 points on the board. However, in a shocking turn of events, Edwards went on to score the decisive match-winning point to end the game by a score of 11-5.
Following this, Edwards didn’t waste any time popping his chest. And the first name he decided to call out was the person who created this friendly feud to begin with – Stephen Curry.
“Hey Steph, remember? Remember, you said I wasn’t going to beat her, right?” Edwards said.
Ant made sure to give respect to Zhang following their match, the same courtesy was unfortunately made unavailable to Lynch. The two ensued in another barrage of on-brand trash talk as the credits rolled.
