NBA ALL-STAR MEDIA DAY

February 14, 2026

Anthony Edwards

Media Day Press Conference

Q. You were in the Paris Olympics, very intense gold medal game. Do you think with this World vs. USA format that level of intensity can be duplicated in any way?

ANTHONY EDWARDS: No.

Q. Tell us why.

ANTHONY EDWARDS: Tell you why? That was the Olympics, yeah. It's just that simple, yeah.

Q. I'm a sports psychiatrist, and I was wondering how you would encourage youth athletes to manage social media and have healthy habits.

ANTHONY EDWARDS: I can't really speak about that only because I ain't been on social media in, like, three, four years, so I don't know. Just stay away from it.

Q. You had a commercial with Adidas that had likenesses of other players in the league and stuff like that, the guys you're competing with. I'm curious what the reaction was from them? What was the reaction to the ad?

ANTHONY EDWARDS: What was the reaction from them, the guys that I had --

Q. If you heard anything from anyone that was in it, and how excited were you to do it and kind of poke fun and kind of play with that.

ANTHONY EDWARDS: Super excited. It's always good to get the juices flowing. I don't think nobody is going to talk as much trash as me, so it's fine.

Q. Me and Lou Williams are close. We work together now, and obviously that's an Atlanta native, OGs. On his behalf, we want to know what your Mount Rushmore of Atlanta hoopers are?

ANTHONY EDWARDS: I want to do Lou Will. Has he heard of Vincent Banks? I'm going to go Lou Will. I'm going to go Vincent Banks and then I got to go JB, Jaylen Brown, and then I'm not going to put myself in there only because, like, I went to Holy Spirit. I got to go Collin Sexton.

Q. No Dwight [Howard]?

ANTHONY EDWARDS: I didn't really get to see Dwight, but I saw Lou Will, and I saw Collin Sexton and JB. I ain't going to lie. They was some killers in high school, for sure.

Q. I got one more for you. Which NBA All-Star would you not let date your sister?

ANTHONY EDWARDS: Not let date my sister, NBA All-Star? These boys ain't no shot, so I ain't worried about these boys. I'm trying to think. Probably -- I'm going to go with Jaylen Brown, yeah [laughter]. I'm going to go with JB. He is from the city. He can't date my sister.

Q. As one of the best isolation players in NBA right now, let me get your order of operations when you are attacking in isolation.

ANTHONY EDWARDS: So first I'm trying to see what the low man doing. I'm reading the low man, so I'm trying to see if he cleansing and doing the three seconds, watching the ref. As soon as he cleanse, I'm going to attack.

After that, everything cook, because I ain't really worried about the guy in front of me. I'm just watching the low man, if he going to pull over and help, I kick it to the corner. If not, I got a layup.

Q. What's "cleanse" for non-NBA players? Y'all talk like everybody else in the NBA.

ANTHONY EDWARDS: They got three-second rules in the NBA, so they stick they foot in the lane and they be looking at the ref like 2.9, and they get out. As soon as they get out for that .1, I'm going downhill.

Q. Everybody is talking about how the All-Star Game is not as competitive as it used to be. Is that something that's on your mind? Are you going to give more effort this year, or is it kind of like it is what it is at this point?

ANTHONY EDWARDS: Yeah, it is what it is at this point.

Q. I know Tom Crean, your college coach, means a lot to you as a mentor. How has he helped you, and how important has he been as a mentor for you?

ANTHONY EDWARDS: Super important. I mean, you know, he's a big film guy. So after every game he sent me clips of film, what I could have did better and what I did do pretty good. So just watching the film with him and just breaking it down, I think that's the main thing.

Q. The NBA research and development department ranked you the seventh hottest NBA player of all time?

ANTHONY EDWARDS: You said what?

Q. The NBA research and development department listed you as the seventh hottest player of all time. Do you agree?

ANTHONY EDWARDS: When you say "hot," what you mean? You talking about basketball?

Q. Handsome, attractive.

ANTHONY EDWARDS: Oh, man. My old lady ain't going to like that.

I ain't going to lie. You know, my mom and daddy did a pretty good job, but like, my old lady ain't going to like that, though. She want me to suppress it. I be trying to hide it and be ugly for these folks, but they ain't wrong, though. They probably got me a little low on the list, honestly [smiling].

Q. You sound shifty, right? What can I add to my bag?

ANTHONY EDWARDS: You got all the moves, but I wish I had all the moves, but can you shoot after the move? I be seeing you dribble the ball and do all that. I'm not saying you can't shoot, but you got to be able to shoot when you do all them moves. You can have a million dollar move and a penny finish, so you got to be able to finish the play.

Q. I get too excited sometimes, like when I cross somebody --

ANTHONY EDWARDS: Yeah, you probably making people fall and start laughing and can't concentrate on the shot. You have to lock in and can't laugh until after you make the jumper.

Q. I have met Kyrie Irving before. You can guard him, you think?

ANTHONY EDWARDS: For sure I can guard Kyrie, for sure.

Q. Believe that?

ANTHONY EDWARDS: Yeah, I can guard him. The only thing about is when it's a five-on-five setting, it's so much going on. I got to chase him around, ball screen, DHO. I'm cool on all that. In the one-on-one setting, I like me, yeah.

Q. Are you going to shed a tear when LeBron retires?

ANTHONY EDWARDS: Am I going to shed a tear? I might cry a little bit [smiling].

Q. With LeBron close to retirement, have you given any more thought into whether you would like to become the future face of the league?

ANTHONY EDWARDS: Man, them folks got Wembanyama. They got Wembanyama. They'll be all right.