As a kid, almost every basketball enthusiast plays or has played NBA 2K. The same goes for Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, who enjoyed his time playing the game. During his media duties after his team’s game on Thursday, he claimed he won money playing with the Memphis Grizzlies.
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Edwards revealed he loved the Mike Conley and Zach Randolph-led Grizzlies team when he was eight. The duo turned the franchise’s fortunes around after the Grizzlies acquired Randolph in a trade in the 2009 offseason. After increasing the team’s win total by 16 in their first season together, they led Memphis to their first playoff series in franchise history in their second.
In their third season together, Conley and Randolph led the Grizzlies to a 41-25 record in the lockdown-shortened 2011-12 season. During the 2012-13 season, the duo led the team to a 56-26 record. It was only the second season in franchise history with at least 50 regular season wins.
The following two seasons saw them win at least 50 of their 92 regular season games. In 2017, Zandolph left the franchise and joined the Sacramento Kings. The Grizzlies struggled in his absence and finished with a losing record for two straight seasons.
After two underwhelming campaigns, the Grizzlies traded Conley to the Utah Jazz, where he spent four seasons before joining the Timberwolves. Since he arrived in 2023, the veteran guard and Edwards have built a close bond. In an interview with Rich Eisen, Conley revealed the young star gave him the nickname ‘Bite Bite’ with no logical explanation, but he has embraced it.
Conley’s addition to the roster has improved Edwards’ output. He’s averaging more points and shooting better from inside and beyond the arc. The young guard is shaping up to be one of the best players in the league, and under Conley’s tutelage, the sky is the limit.
Anthony Edwards flips a switch and leads the Timberwolves to a win
On Thursday, Anthony Edwards had a rough first half against the Memphis Grizzlies, scoring only two points. However, he flipped a switch and took over the game in the second half, scoring 26 points to lead the Timberwolves to a 118-103 win.
During the post-game interview, Hall of Famer Charles Barkley asked Edwards which teammate can call him out when he’s playing as poorly as he did in the first half against the Grizzlies. The young star named teammate Kyle Anderson, revealing he got a mouthful from the veteran at halftime. Edwards said,
“[Kyle Anderson] told me at halftime ‘man you got 2 points, you ain’t looking like no superstar right now, you looking like a scrub, so I had to figure it out.”
That’s all the motivation Edwards needed to go off. His incredible form has helped the Timberwolves catapult themselves to the top of the Western Conference. They are 30-11, two games clear of Oklahoma City Thunder, who are second on the table. Edwards, the first overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, has been a revelation for the Timberwolves. With Conley, Anderson, Rudy Gobert, and Karl-Anthony Towns by his side, the 22-year-old star could end the Timberwolves wait for an NBA title.
