Anthony Edwards felt good after the Minnesota Timberwolves handed the Boston Celtics their first loss of the 2023-24 season.
So much so that the Timberwolves guard ripped Celtics star Jayson Tatum in the locker room following Minnesota’s 114-109 triumph in overtime at Target Center.
Normally, what Edwards said about Tatum never would have seen the light of day. But thanks to the Netflix documentary “Starting 5,” which followed five NBA stars — Tatum, Edwards, Jimmy Butler, LeBron James and Domantas Sabonis — across last season, fans got a behind the curtain peek at Edwards’ trash talk.
“Hey, you see Tatum trying to get me on the switch, locked his ass up two times, Jay,” Edwards said, per NBA Central. “He start talking (expletive). Tatum telling me, ‘Yeah, I’m here.’ I said, ‘I’m coming again.’ Ya’ll talking ’bout best player in the league. Y’all tripping.”
Edwards did get the better of Tatum in that early-season contest. Edwards flirted with a triple-double as he scored a game-high 38 points on an efficient 15-of-25 shooting to go along with nine rebounds and seven assists. Tatum had a strong showing, too, tallying 32 points on 12-for-22 shooting with five rebounds and five steals.
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But the highlight moment for Edwards really came when he poked the ball away from Tatum in overtime and drew a jump ball. That really propelled Edwards to puff his chest out.
It’s unclear if Tatum was aware of what Edwards said prior to the documentary. Regardless, there doesn’t seem to be any animosity between the two with Edwards known for his trash talk. The two won a gold medal together during the Paris Olympics.
But Edwards dissing Tatum will add a layer when the Celtics and Timberwolves collide for the first time this upcoming season on Nov. 24 at TD Garden.
Featured image via Trevor Ruszkowski/USA TODAY Sports Images
