A-Rod says Anthony Edwards reminds him of Kirby Puckett, says he's 'a killer'

Anthony Edwards reminds Minnesota Timberwolves co-owner Alex Rodriguez of another Minnesota sports star, a Hall of Famer similarly beloved in the state, who Rodriguez grew up idolizing as he built towards a record-setting baseball career.

"The one person (Edwards) reminds me of is a guy that I came up loving and admiring and was a great mentor to me, and that's Kirby Puckett," Rodriguez said in the latest installment of Edwards' YouTube docuseries, Year Five with Anthony Edwards, which was released on Friday. "He was always happy. He won two titles here; he was a center fielder. You know, what Kirby Puckett did is he gave people in Minnesota hope. I think Ant gives you that same hope."

Ignoring the fact that years later Rodriguez would kill that a lot of that hope — Rodriguez and his New York Yankees beat the Minnesota Twins in the playoffs in 2004, 2009 and 2010 — he's not wrong about Edwards. The 23-year-old rising star has led the Wolves past the first round of the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time in franchise history. He's provided highlight after highlight in his five-year career, including the recent 4-1 series win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Wolves pulled off the upset over the much-hyped and betting favorite Lakers. Much of the national media expected L.A. to wipe the floor with Minnesota. All 10 of ESPN's experts picked the Lakers, which didn't go unnoticed by Edwards.

"You know what really turned me up though? Paul Pierce," Edwards said in the video.

Pierce, an NBA Finals MVP with the Boston Celtics, said on a podcast Edwards wasn't going to take part in the same antics against LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the Lakers as he did in the Wolves' first-round sweep of the Phoenix Suns last year. Well ... Edwards was his same old self against the Lakers, he sent them packing and he got an apology from Pierce.

Edwards' trash talking extended off the court, from the sidelines to the streets of Los Angeles.

"(Someone) on the front row, he was like, 'You're 0 for 11,'" Edwards said. "And I was like, 'And y'all finna lose. ... Go home. Beat the traffic.'"

Edwards and the Wolves are back to the Western Conference semifinals, and he's looking to lead them to new heights.

"(Edwards) is one of the nicest guys you're ever gonna meet, but like (Michael) Jordan, like Magic (Johnson), he'll just rip your heart right out of your chest," Rodriguez said, "and he is a killer."