Edwards named to Team USA

Minneapolis/St. Paul – In an announcement made today by USA Basketball Men’s National Team Managing Director Grant Hill and approved by the USA Basketball Board of Directors, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards was named to the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s National Team, which will compete at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, set for July 26-Aug. 11. With the honor, Edwards becomes the fourth Timberwolves player to earn a roster spot on a USA Men’s National Team, joining Kevin Love, who won a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London, Kevin Garnett who won gold at the 2000 Olympics in Australia and Christian Laettner who won gold at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

Edwards, who was named to the 2024 USA Men’s National Team Player Pool in January, was a member of USA’s 2023 FIBA World Cup team, where he was named to the All-Star Five with averages of 18.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals in 25.9 minutes per game as the U.S. finished fourth. On Sept. 3 against Lithuania, Edwards scored 35 points in 29 minutes of action, tying Carmelo Anthony for the second-highest scoring total from a U.S. player in a single game at the FIBA World Cup (35 vs. Italy on Aug. 23, 2006). His other USA Basketball experience includes being named to the 2021 USA Select Team and training with the 2021 USA Men’s National Team prior to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The Atlanta native wrapped up his fourth NBA season, all with the Timberwolves, averaging a career-high 25.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and a career-high 5.1 assists on the season, becoming the first player in franchise history to average 25+ points/5+ rebounds/5+ assists; Edwards is one of eight players in the NBA this season to do so. His 25.9 points per game is the third-highest points per game average in franchise history. Edwards is just the third player in franchise history to average 25+ points per game, joining Kevin Love (2X; MR: 2013-14) and Karl-Anthony Towns (2016-17). Edwards finished the 2023-24 NBA season with 2,049 points, 430 rebounds and 405 assists. At 22 years and 253 days old, becoming the fourth-youngest player with 2,000+ points/400+ rebounds/400+ assists in a season with only LeBron James (three times), Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson doing so at a younger age (based on age at end of season).

The USA officially qualified for the Paris Games as one of the top two nations from the FIBA Americas zone at the 2023 FIBA World Cup in September. The American men will compete for their fifth straight – and 17th overall – Olympic gold medal.

As part of Group C, the American men will face Serbia on July 28, South Sudan on July 31 and the winner of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Puerto Rico on Aug. 3 in the first round of the Olympic tournament. The 5-on-5 Olympic basketball group phase will take place in Lille, France, before the tournament moves to Paris for knockout and medal rounds.