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'Leave him alone': Shannon Sharpe on Anthony Edwards' opposition to being next face of the NBA

Edwards said multiple times during All-Star Weekend that he doesn't view himself as the next face of the league.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards walks onto the court during his introductions before the game against the Sacramento Kings at Target Center in Minneapolis on Feb. 3, 2025.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards walks onto the court during his introductions before the game against the Sacramento Kings at Target Center in Minneapolis on Feb. 3, 2025. | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

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Several players were asked who they believe is the next face of the NBA during the league's All-Star Weekend.

Karl-Anthony Towns said he believed his former Minnesota Timberwolves teammate, Anthony Edwards, will be the face of the league in short order. Edwards himself was asked multiple times, and his answer remained consistent each occasion.

"Nah, not really," Edwards told reporters when asked about viewing himself as the next face of the league. "That's what they got (San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama) for."

The hosts on TNT later asked Edwards to tell the truth: that he can and will be the next face of the NBA.

"I'm capable of being that guy," Edwards said. "But I don't want to be that guy, I'll put it like that. I want to be the guy that just show up and hoop and just kill dudes and go home."

Shannon Sharpe says it's time to believe him. On ESPN's First Take on Monday, Sharpe said the NBA should stop trying to push Edwards to be a guy he doesn't want to be. Edwards has been consistent in opposition to being the league's face.

"How many different ways must someone tell you they don't want something before you believe him?" Sharpe said on ESPN. "I believe him when he says he doesn't want to be the face of the NBA. He doesn't want what comes along with being that. That's OK. I watch him come to the game with slides on and baggy — he's not trying to be the representation, the best face of the NBA. Leave him alone. Don't try to put that on him if he doesn't want it."

Edwards has consistently improved throughout the course of his five-year NBA career, and he gained a lot of notoriety last postseason when he led the Wolves to a first-round sweep of Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns before leading the charge in a grueling seven-game series victory over the defending champion Denver Nuggets. While Minnesota lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference finals, Edwards had long enough run to make himself a household name.

Edwards made his third All-Star Game this year, and he's averaging a career-best 27.5 points per game, which ranks fifth in the NBA, in addition to 5.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Edwards leads the league in 3-pointers made with 227, and he's become the unequivocal face of the Timberwolves this season after Towns was traded to the New York Knicks.

But Edwards has also been in the public eye for some negative reasons off the court, and he's received multiple fines this season for things like cursing during postgame interviews and making unseemly gestures towards officials. Edwards has acknowledged he needs avoid those actions as many of his fans are children, perhaps why he doesn't view himself as the NBA's next face. Not many can face intense public scrutiny for two decades without controversy like LeBron James.

"Ant-Man told you, he's good," Sharpe said. "Leave him alone. Let's push other guys that would gladly accept being what that is, the face of the NBA. It's OK."

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