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LeBron James Had Powerful Five-Word Message for Anthony Edwards After Lakers' Loss

Andy Nesbitt

LeBron James had a message for Anthony Edwards right after the Timberwolves knocked the Lakers out of the playoffs.
LeBron James had a message for Anthony Edwards right after the Timberwolves knocked the Lakers out of the playoffs. / NBA
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LeBron James had his 22nd NBA season come to an end Wednesday night with a Game 5 loss at home to the Timberwolves. Moments after the final whistle he had a powerful message for Anthony Edwards, whose stardom is only on the rise after another playoff series win.

James found Edwards, who was rightfully celebrating with teammates, dapped him up, and said to him, "It's the next step now."

This must have been a pretty powerful moment for the 23-year-old Edwards, having one of the all-time greats taking a moment after a tough loss to let him know what he needs to do next. You can see that interaction at the end of this video:

Edwards and the Timberwolves lost to the Mavs 4-1 in the Western Conference finals last season. After coming in as the No. 6 seed this year, they now seemed poised to not only get back there, but maybe even make it a step further. LeBron's message to Edwards could only help their chances.

Next up for them will be the winner of the Rockets-Warriors series, which Golden State leads 3-2 after Wednesday night's loss in Houston.

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Andy Nesbitt
ANDY NESBITT

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.

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