An early biography of a rising star of the NBA

The first in-depth look at the Minnesota Timberwolves rising star, from his backstory to his mindset, and the relationships that fueled his drive to greatness.

From his jaw-dropping dunks to his charismatic personality, Anthony Edwards draws comparisons to the greatest shooting guards of all time like Kobe and Jordan. A portrait in the education of a budding NBA superstar, Ant chronicles Edward’s meteoric rise. The number-one pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, a two-time All-Star, Edwards has, in just a few seasons, become a household name and the face of the Minnesota Timberwolves. And he’s only twenty-three years old.

With locker room access, original interviews, and fresh reporting by Chris Hine, the Minnesota Star Tribune’s beat writer covering the Wolves, Ant delves into Edwards’ early life in Atlanta, the challenges and family tragedy he overcame, and the relentless determination that has propelled him to stardom.

Anthony Edwards, the charismatic and personable star of the Minnesota Timberwolves, made a splash in last year’s NBA playoffs, making the jump to potential-future-face-of-the-league. This year, the ‘Wolves are blazing a path through the Western Conference playoffs once again, and will appear in the conference finals against OKC. This all makes Chris Hine’s book rather timely. It’s a well-written and engaging biography of the rising superstar; but perhaps too soon?

Already familiar with Edwards’s game (thanks to my friend who lives in Minnesota and is a rabid ‘Wolves fan), he was also a stand-out star of the Netflix docu-series Starting 5, which offered plenty of insight into Edwards’s character and motivations. (He also has a brief moment in Court of Gold, also on Netflix, interacting with President Obama, that is very funny.) In Ant, Hine digs deeper, and draws on a number of interviews with Ant’s family, teachers, and teammates. Of particular interest are those insights that come from the adults who were instrumental in creating an environment in which Ant could thrive — from his mother (who passed away when he was still very young), to his coaches, to the teacher who took him in to help get him through high school (a situation that gave him an incredible helping hand). Throughout his life, he has been blessed with others who have been willing to take him in and provide the help he needs.

The author creates a picture of a spectacularly gifted young man who just needed the right conditions to thrive — and thrive he has, bringing his infectious positivity to every team and situation he is in. From his early days focused on football, to his transition to fully-focused on basketball, the author takes us through his childhood and teen years, all the way into his young NBA career. Edwards, Hine writes, “can radiate infectious, positive energy, and it’s one way in which he has had an effect on every team of which he was a part. Even in his Vikings and early AAU basketball days, his energy lifted his teammates.” This is something that anyone who watches his antics on and off the court can see — he thrives not only as part of a team, but by watching his teammates do well. (His post-game interviews with Karl Anthony-Towns, prior to the New York trade, were great television and often endearing).

The majority of the biography focuses on the years prior to Ant being drafted by the Timberwolves, and that shouldn’t be surprising. After all, he hasn’t really done anything, yet, in the NBA. He’s lifted his team, to be sure, and they have been rapping at the door of the NBA finals for the past few years — and maybe they’ll finally make it this year. It is an interesting read, and there are plenty of insights into Edwards’s character and how he developed into the person and player that he has become. But it did, however, start to become just a little repetitive towards the end. I understand the impulse to be the first person to write the book on an upcoming superstar, but this one could have waited just a couple more years.

Ant is a must-read for any Timberwolves and Edwards fan. I’d just note that it is maybe a little premature. It’s entirely possible that, by the time the paperback edition of this book comes out, there will be a new Finals/championship chapter to be added. Despite my quibble with the timing, it was nevertheless an enjoyable and engaging read.

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Chris Hines’s Ant is due to be published by Harper in North America on June 10th.

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Review copy received via Edelweiss