'I'm the No. 1 option': Anthony Edwards claims alpha status over LeBron, Steph on U.S. Olympic team

Edwards says some of the best players ever 'gotta fit in to play around me'

By Brad Botkin Jul 8, 2024 at 5:49 pm ET• 1 min read

Anthony Edwards is not short on confidence. An emerging, swagger-soaked MVP candidate who just led the Minnesota Timberwolves to their first conference finals appearance in two decades, Edwards is set to take on a core role for the U.S. men's Olympic team in Paris -- and by core role, we mean, in his mind. Edwards believes he can be the alpha scorer on a roster that includes LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid and Kevin Durant. 

"I'm still the No. 1 option," Edwards told reporters from Team USA's training camp in Las Vegas on Sunday. "Y'all might look at it differently, I don't look at it no different."

Edwards was then asked what fulfilling the No. 1 role on a roster that includes some of the greatest players in history might actually look like, and he went even further.

"I just go out there and be myself," Edwards said. "Shoot my shots, play defense and, you know. They've gotta fit in to play around me. That's how I feel."

Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards on how he fits in with USA Basketball Olympic team: “I’m still the number one option. Y’all might look at it differently. … They’ve got to fit in around me. That’s how I feel.” pic.twitter.com/Cga5kTiR2J

— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) July 7, 2024

They've gotta fit in to play around me.