The New York Knicks are one of the most stories franchises in the NBA.
But braggadocios Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards won’t be joining them anytime soon.
Edwards is one of the brightest young stars in the NBAGetty
‘Ant-Man’ and the T-Wolves recently paid a visit to the Big Apple to take on the Knickerbockers in a preseason game at the Mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks won the game 115-110. Afterwards, Edwards swapped jerseys with ex Minnesota teammate Karl-Anthony Towns, who was just shipped to NY in a three-team trade that saw Julius Randle go the other way.
A viral video recently surfaced showing a Knicks fan trying to tempt Ant-Man to follow suit amid the jersey swap.
However, the two-time All-Star brutally declined the offer, suggesting the infamously febrile New York atmosphere would turn on him as soon as he had a bad game.
“Y’all ain’t finna be mad at me when I have an off game,” Edwards said. “… When I play bad, y’all are gonna be like, ‘Boo!’ 82 games I ain’t gonna be good.”
The Knicks have one of the most passionate and uncompromising fanbases in the entire Association.
They haven’t raised a championship banner since 1973 but fans still demand winning basketball. MSG has remained a pressure cooker of an arena in the title-less years since, with its iconic bright lights causing many a star to wilt.
Edwards is one of the most confident stars in the league, but even he appears reluctant to play his home games in front of a crowd so hostile and temperamental.
Edwards engaged in some banter with a Knicks fan during a recent gameX@krispursiainen
He joked ,”When I play bad, y’all are gonna be like, ‘Boo!’”X@X@krispursiainen
There’s also the small matter of the fact he signed a five-year, $244.6 million contract extension with the Timberwolves last offseason. He is under contract with the franchise until the end of the 2028-29 season.
In a recent cover story with Vikings star Justin Jefferson for ESPN, Edwards reaffirmed his wishes to remain in Minnesota long-term.
“If I can, I’m trying to be here [Timberwolves] for my whole career,” Edwards said.
‘Ant-Man’ is in his fifth season in the league and has already emerged as one of its brightest and most electrifying young stars.
He’s been compared to Michael Jordan and led the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2004 last year, losing to the Dallas Mavericks.
Edwards followed that up with a gold medal at the Paris Olympics with Team USA, and was one of the five basketball stars featured in Netflix’s Starting 5 documentary, alongside LeBron James and Jayson Tatum.
His Wolves are once again expected to contend at the top of the loaded Western Conference this season, and have started the season off 2-1.
The Knicks, meanwhile, have started 1-2 as the team tries to adjust to its new-look lineup.
