From procrastinating to marking new era for Adidas basketball: Anthony Edwards reveals how he got his own sneaker
Amid an excellent start to the season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards, who joined Adidas in 2020, will have his first signature shoe released on Saturday, December 16. The superstar forward admitted that he didn't initially know that he would get a signature shoe in the winter.
"Somehow, the shoe hit Instagram, and people were sending it to me. I was just like, ‘I don’t know what y’all talking about.’ I think my family kinda found out then," Edwards told Complex.
Initially, the Timberwolves star player didn't care much about getting a signature shoe and explained how he eventually found out about the company's plans.
"You gotta come out here. I’m not telling you why, but you gotta come out here. You need to come out here and stop procrastinating," his business manager Justin Holland told him, via Complex.
This happened in the summer of 2022. Edwards' sneaker design was leaked online a few months later, in late spring, with Adidas making it public in September. During the summer, the All-Star guard/forward learned about his new shoe.
Adidas views Anthony Edwards as one of their best chances of re-emerging as a powerhouse in the global shoe market.
"We feel we are in a better shape in this business than we've been for a long time," CEO Bjørn Gulden said, via Complex.
"It’s not just a mesh shoe on top of EVA and rubber. It’s this containment narrative that wraps from the bottom, so you don’t really see where that midsole topline is. He was gravitating towards this very futuristic vibe. He told us he didn't want his shoe to look like anything else on the market," AE 1 designer Patrick Zempolich said.
Anthony Edwards and Adidas are hopeful that the player's first signature shoe will be a success, as more signature shoes will be released in the coming months.
Anthony Edwards has what it takes to become an NBA megastar, says former coach
Anthony Edwards has been a key contributor to the Minnesota Timberwolves' strong start to the season. With a 17-5 record, the Wolves lead the West and are tied for the best record in the NBA with the Boston Celtics.
The 22-year-old star has averages of 24.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg, and 4.8 apg, and shooting 45.2% from the field and 37.8 percent from beyond the arc.
Recently, former coach and NBA champion with the Celtics (2008), Doc Rivers opened up about why he thinks Edwards has what it takes to become a megastar.
"When he goes out, you want to go out with him. You're going to have a good time. When you work it out with him, you're going to work. It's going to be competitive," Doc Rivers said during an appearance on the Bill Simmons podcast, via Basketball Network.
"He has all those intangibles that help build teams, and he's not trying to do it. It's who he is, and that's what makes him special. If they're healthy, man, there's a couple of teams I don't want to play. Minnesota, I want nothing to do with."
Anthony Edwards could return to action Thursday vs. the Dallas Mavericks (15-8), after missing the last three games with a right hip contusion.