Anthony Edwards has been making several heads turn with his stellar performances for Team USA. He has made himself stand out as the team’s star player for the upcoming FIBA World Cup 2023. Furthermore, Edwards is quite motivated to play for his nation, following in the footsteps of basketball legends Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal recently seemed impressed by this aspect of the young breakout star and shared Edwards’ quote on his Instagram story.
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Anthony Edwards displayed his incredible performance in a recently held exhibition match against Germany. Team USA was 16 points behind, but the Americans made a stellar comeback in the fourth quarter to win the game 99-91 thanks to Anthony’s prowess. Edwards dropped 34 points in the game, which is impressive compared to the cumulative 25 points of the other players on the team’s roster.
Anthony Edwards gets a shoutout from Shaquille O’Neal following breakout Team USA performances
Minnesota Timberwolves’ young star, Anthony Edwards, has grabbed the attention of several NBA veterans watching him play for Team USA. This summer, Edwards has been brilliant for the national team and is showing performance levels of a future star for the league. This year’s FIBA World Cup is showcasing Edwards’ talents to basketball fans worldwide, giving him the big break he deserves. Here is what Anthony Edwards said about playing in the national team.
“I just wanted to play because Kobe played in it, Michael Jordan played in it…Those [are] the best players so you gotta do what they do.”
Shaquille O’Neal shared why ANT wanted to play for Team USA pic.twitter.com/w3jMVgYUei
— What are NBA Celebs Upto? (@NBACelebsUpdate) August 25, 2023
Anthony Edwards can potentially have a massive impact on his team, even when they are losing with a considerable points deficit. His performance against Germany might remind us of Kobe Bryant, who could come off the bench and single-handedly play a clutch game for a win. Perhaps Edwards’ performance may also remind fans of Game 6 Michael Jordan plays. However, some fans love thinking out of the box, bringing out the most eerie and uncanny relationship between His Airness and the young Timberwolves star.
These instances have drawn the heads of several veterans and greats of the league, including Shaquille O’Neal. Impressed by Edwards’ motivation and style of play, Shaq gave a shout-out to the young star by posting his quote on his Instagram story. Now that Anthony has received Shaq’s approval, it’s quite likely that he would not disappoint the hopes placed on him by the big man of the league himself.
O’Neal has now placed complete faith in the young Team USA after 4-0 run
Shaquille O’Neal initially agreed with Gilbert Arenas’ comment about the lack of superstars in the national team. Arenas called out the best players in the league’s unwillingness and called the team a ‘sorry a** group.’ Shaq shared Arenas’ quote on his Instagram story, which made many people believe in him, doubting the young Team USA.
However, Shaq has now changed his mind after seeing USA’s performance in the FIBA World Cup tournament practice matches. After a 4-0 run in these games, Shaq shared a list of players, which includes Jalen Brunson, Anthony Edwards, Mikal Bridges, Brandon Ingram, and Jaren Jackson Jr., as one of the best Team USA roster to play internationally. With Team USA’s matches upcoming in the tournament, looks like the firepower in the team will continue to extend their dominance all through.
