LeBron James. Stephen Curry. Kevin Durant.
USA Basketball heads to Paris with more than the deepest roster since the 1992 Dream Team. Just like that legendary squad, they are bringing the biggest names — and biggest brands — in all of basketball. Fans around the globe buy their shoes, wear their jerseys and will tune in to the Paris Olympics to watch LeBron, Curry and KD (hopefully) take the court with "USA" across their chests.
Those same fans are going to walk away from these Games talking about Anthony Edwards.
"Ant is Ant," head coach Steve Kerr said. "I mean, he's one of the most powerful, physical athletes in the NBA. He was fantastic in FIBA [World Cup] last year, being able to score and play through contact, and then his ball pressure defensively will be a big part of our success this summer."
Kerr needs Edwards' youthful burst of athleticism to balance out his older, veteran squad. The results have been brilliant so far, with Edwards being one of the top three scorers for Team USA in each of its early exhibition games.
Edwards is coming off a breakout NBA season — All-Star, All-NBA, seventh in MVP voting — but more than simply racking up accolades, the 22-year-old out of Georgia is becoming one of the faces of the league.
Part of that is his skill level and physical, attacking style on the court, which has been compared to how Michael Jordan played.
However, what truly endears fans to Edwards is a brash confidence, exuded with a wink. He is passionate, authentic and funny, and he hasn't toned anything down with Team USA.
"I'm still the No. 1 option," Edwards said when asked about adjusting to playing with legendary closers like Durant and Curry. "I mean, y'all might look at it differently. I don't look no different. ... I just go out there and be myself. Shoot my shot, play defense and they got to fit in and play around me, that's how it is."
Don't expect Kerr to push back on that.
"I love that Anthony Edwards said he's the No. 1 option the other day," Kerr said. "I wanted him to think that way, and I want five, six other guys to feel that way too.”
Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton are poised to take the torch from the veterans in Paris and run with it to Los Angeles in 2028 and beyond.
"I think us two being here as kind of the young faces, the young guys on his team, both of us take a pride in being that," Haliburton said, adding that he and Edwards have become close since being part of the same draft class.
"There is definitely an aspiration for both of us to play in multiple Olympics. So, we're not taking this for granted by any means, but as Father Time starts to creep in on these guys — very, very slowly — we're sure that we would definitely want to be part of that moving forward.”
Edwards has grown comfortable in the spotlight on and off the court — he was the antagonist "Kermit" in Adam Sandler's ode to basketball scouts, "Hustle." However, being in the international spotlight of Team USA is something different and more intense.
Edwards is getting to ease into that spotlight and being the face of USA Basketball by learning from the best U.S. player at the Tokyo Games, the man Edwards has long called his favorite player: Kevin Durant.
"I can't wait to play alongside him," Edwards said of Durant.
Durant has taken Edwards under his wing throughout training camp and in the run-up to Paris.
"It's been great being around Ant. He's like a sponge, but he also has a lot of knowledge himself. He's wise beyond his years, so he fits right in," Durant said.
Edwards understands that being on Team USA comes with pressure — the United States has won four straight Olympic gold medals in men's basketball and 16 of 20 overall. USA Basketball is the gold standard and Edwards welcomes that.
"It's gonna be super big [to win gold] because I haven't won anything throughout my NBA career," Edwards said. "I fell short this year, I lost in the West Conference Finals. So to get an accolade under my belt would be dope."
Fans are going to think Edwards is dope, too.