Anthony Edwards‘ last performance impressed one of the greatest players to ever grace the NBA courts. After his 30-point, five-assist display to fuel the Wolves 3-1 against the Warriors, legend Gary Payton paid tribute to the young star, who received MVP chants during the playoff matchup.
As Minnesota defeated Golden State 117-110 at Chase Center, the Ant Man headed back to his locker room, but on the way he approached the Basketball Hall of Famer to greet him with a hug. The former Seattle star decided to honor him with a gift that he wouldn’t ever forget.
“I went up to him because of course I hear all the stuff about him, and then I go watch film on him and he was really like that,” Edwards shared after receiving a vintage SuperSonics jersey. “I told him like, ‘man I’m a big fan and I love the way you guarded man.’ And even offensively, he had a lot of game.”
Anthony Edwards paying tribute to our Seattle SuperSonics and Seattle legend Gary Payton after last nights W. ☔️#BringBackOurSonics pic.twitter.com/CoLiGuCM16
— SonicsMuse (@SonicsMuse) May 13, 2025
The Timberwolves star also praised Payton’s son, who plays as a guard for the Warriors. “His son kind of plays defense similar to him. His son [is] super handsy [and] physical,” the 23-year-old said, after his 30 points in Game 4 secured his 13th 30-point game in his postseason career.
His team had been trailing at halftime, so he decided to speak up in the locker room, inspiring an impressive turnaround in the third quarter. “I told them, ‘We only got two wins,’” Anthony shared postgame, recalling his message to his teammates. “I’ve never seen a series end 2-1.”
He then added: “I told them we have to get two more wins and right now we’re playing like we already got four wins. … We had to figure it out because if we would have kept playing like that, we would have lost tonight.”
This meant Edwards’ second-consecutive 30-point display in this Western Conference semifinals, and his third during these playoffs. Now the Minnesota squad has the opportunity to close the series out in Wednesday’s Game 5 clash back in Minneapolis.
