Anthony Edwards celebrates draft day next to paintings of late mom and grandmother

Anthony Edwards celebrated being drafted first overall with a heavy heart

Edwards is an athletic force, and showed plenty of that in his lone season as a Georgia Bulldog. Joining a Timberwolves team in transition, Edwards will play alongside capable All-Star talents like D’Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns.

Yet, being a generational draft prospect doesn’t mean Edwards life was always easy, of course. When he was in eighth grade, both Edwards mother and grandmother died of cancer. He’s carried their memory with him ever since, including to his virtual NBA Draft room, where both sat next to him on the couch as he awaited to hear his name called by commissioner Adam Silver. Featured in two colorful murals on either side of him, Edwards remembered the two women that had a profound impact on his life.

Edwards will carry the memory of these two women from draft night through his NBA journey

“Losing my mom was really tough because I used to sleep with her a lot. So, I lost my sleeping buddy,” Edwards told the Undefeated in January interview. “And my grandma, she was like our backbone, she did everything for us. When we didn’t have money for the lights and pay bills, she’ll come through. She worked at a post office, so she always had money.”

Edwards averaged 19 points per game in his freshman season in Athens. It was there that he led an upstart Georgia team and was coached by Tom Crean, who spoke volumes of his offensive development in just a short period of time.