Anthony Edwards has had a quick rise to superstardom. In 2020, when Ant-Man was drafted, the Wolves were nowhere on the map. Fast forward to the present, and they are facing off against the defending champs for a possible berth in the Conference Finals. Naturally, Edwards’ rising fame has also allured various business deals, only to be snubbed by the Wolves guard because he just wants to hoop.
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Appearing on the ‘Boardroom Podcast’, Edwards and his business manager, Justin Holland, spilled the beans on the business side of the ‘AE’ brand. Unsurprisingly, Ant doesn’t participate in the slightest in his business dealings and just lets his manager handle it,
“Basketball. That’s it. That’s all I want to focus on. I want to be doing none else. I’m telling him, ‘Ayee, bro, leave me alone. I don’t want to be doing none else.'”
Holland doesn’t mind his client’s antics as he remembered what it’s like to be 22. But he does have a plan for Edwards’s future, when basketball and the NBA will no longer be on the scene,
“I am always planning life after basketball for him, whether he realizes that or not. You know, at 22, if we can start thinking business,…about outside basketball at his age, at 25, 26, and 27, he should have his own businesses, and they should be running themselves by the time he gets ready to retire.”
Edwards was visibly surprised when the conversation shifted to life after basketball. He found the entire concept “crazy”. But Ant-Man surely recognizes the opportunity before him. He has even decided to suit up for the big leagues, dropping Klutch Sports en route to signing with WME and Bill Duffy.
Anthony Edwards and WME partner up, hopeful of a Jordanesque run
There is no doubt, Anthony Edwards is turning out to be the face of the league. LeBron is heading out, and he seems to have called dibs. The timing is perfect. But Edwards doesn’t want to go down the same route as LeBron and Klutch Sports, he wants something “different”.
Last June, Edwards shocked the world by ditching LBJ-backed Klutch Sports for Billy Duffy and MWE. Ant-Man’s long-time teammate Jaden McDaniels seems to have also tagged along. The change in administration surely paid off as the 22-year-old signed a max extension with the Timberwolves, which will see Edwards earn a base salary of $207 million over the next five years.
Why is Ant leaving Klutch?
Text I got: “Bill Duffy is Bill Duffy”
Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels now both represented by Duffy and WME as they enter contract extension negotiations this summer. https://t.co/wKdtMFeM21
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) June 3, 2023
But for Ant, it’s not about the money, “it’s just about being the best at basketball, nothing else”. Well, Edwards should have a shot at proving himself as the world’s best player, as the Timberwolves are set to play the probable 2024 NBA MVP, Nikola Jokic, and the defending champions in their upcoming playoff series.
The brand deals are just the by-product and the young guard knows that. He is just aiming to challenge him at every stage and be better at the sport even ousting the Suns’ ‘Big Three’ on the way. The stage is set for him to prevail.
