Last week, Chris Hine of the Minnesota Star Tribune released his book “Ant: The Incredible Journey of NBA Rising Star Anthony Edwards,” chronicling Ant’s childhood in Atlanta, his path to the Minnesota Timberwolves, his rise to NBA stardom, and the people in Ant’s life who made it all possible.
Chris sat down for an interview with Canis Hoopus to talk about his feelings now that the book is finally released to the public, what he learned over the months of writing, and what the future might hold for the young Timberwolves superstar.
“Yeah, it’s been surreal. It’s been really cool to see the reaction from people on social media, people reading the book, finishing it very quickly. Like it’s been very heartwarming and awesome to see, you know, being able to have this book finally out in the world for people to consume and, and seeing people respond to different parts of it. It’s been, it’s been really rewarding and gratifying.”
Was able to hand a couple copies to Ant and friends after the OKC series. You’ll be meeting some of those guys in the book! Specifically Nick, Drew and Justin. https://t.co/T68IlP7dlf
— Chris Hine (@ChristopherHine) June 7, 2025
Growing up in Atlanta
About a year ago, Chris spent a good portion of his offseason in Atlanta. He spoke with members of Edwards’s family and people who knew Ant when he was a young kid. So much of who Ant is today comes from that period and the people who were in his life at the time, including his mother Yvette, grandmother Shirley, grandfather Ben, and youth football coaches with the Atlanta Vikings.
Chris spoke about how the people around Edwards shaped how he would later interact with his coaches in the NBA.
“That was kind of what I was trying to portray with some of the qualities that you see in Ant now, the ultimate positive teammate coming from his mother, and always being like that. His football coach being super tough on him, which I think has allowed other coaches and Finch to be able to coach him in a tough and hold him accountable kind of way.”
Many people in Ant’s life when he was young described him as an “old soul.” Someone who often gravitated toward talking with the adults in his life, having the ability to hold conversations and read people and complex situations. Ant can also be described as someone who is young at heart, something Wolves fans can likely see when he is out on the court or interacting with teammates.
Chris spoke about this dichotomy within Ant and whether both of those characteristics show up in his game out on the court.
“I think with the old soul comes, there’s just a natural innate ability to like read people or read a situation, read a room. But I do think there’s just a genuineness and a purity to how he interacts with people, with his teammates, the positive energy that he radiates with people. He’s always funny, he’s always joking around, he’s just very uplifting and encouraging.
Even after losing both his mother and grandmother just five months apart at the age of 13, Ant never lost that positive disposition or genuineness toward other people. That level of grief would have consumed a lot of people, preventing them from achieving their goals. Instead, Ant used it as fuel, reaching the NBA, a dream he had written on his childhood bedroom wall.
Minnesota Timberwolves Introduce Draft Picks - Press Conference Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images
2020 NBA Draft and Early Timberwolves Days
In the lead-up to the 2020 NBA Draft, there were a lot of obstacles for Edwards. The draft date got pushed back multiple times, which meant an increased number of workouts with teams, less time to prepare for the quickly approaching season, and extra interviews with media after months of waiting for the big night.
One of those interviews went somewhat viral. In an article with ESPN, Ant said, “To be honest, I can’t watch basketball,” a quote that left coaches, fans, and media worried that he didn’t have the drive to become a superstar in the NBA. Those worries have become unfounded, leaving many, including Hine, to wonder now why that one quote got so much traction.
“I don’t know why that stuck where that one quote stuck so much. I guess maybe because there were these pre-draft whispers that he didn’t work hard. So this was just maybe confirmation from himself that maybe some of that was true, maybe that was part of it. And it wasn’t just during the days leading up to the draft, but that seemed to stick with him a lot in the first year or two, and he had to really dispel that.”
Even the Wolves, who were confident enough in Ant as a player to select him with the number one overall pick, had their worries about his drive and love for basketball. During much of the predraft process, then President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas and Head Coach Ryan Saunders were focused on figuring out what made Edwards tick.
Once the Wolves drafted Edwards, much of his first season with the Wolves, Ant came off the bench. It was a role he didn’t enjoy, but never let it affect his performance on the court or his relationship with teammates and coaches.
“Yeah, I mean, he put on a good face, he didn’t publicly complain, but that’s the competitor. Listen, a lot of NBA players are like this, especially early in their careers. They think they should be starting. They think they should be getting 35 minutes a night. And he was no different. But what was different, I think, was that he didn’t let it boil over. He didn’t let it affect his relationship with his teammates or with Ryan [Saunders], or he would just, you know, maybe quietly seethe.”
A great analogy Chris made in that book was comparing Ant to musicians. Some people need the sheet music to play, requiring being able to see the notes to play a beautiful song. For others, it just comes naturally. After years of playing music, all they need is to hear the song to play the notes they need.
Edwards, at least early in his career, needs the sheet music.
“I think when you view like this postseason to your point about kind of the larger arc of his career, what he’s learned about making the right plays, reading defenses, I think he’s doing it at a much higher level now and knowing what’s required of him. And I think that’s only going to pay dividends down the road because now he’s just gaining more and more institutional knowledge and having more of these experience to draw from as he gets older and starts reaching the physical peak of his career.”
2024 Olympics - Men’s Gold Medal Game: France v USA Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
Team USA and Childhood Idol Kevin Durant
The book closes with a chapter about Ant’s experience playing with Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics, where they won the Gold Medal. That was a special enough moment, but adding to that surrealness, Ant got to play alongside his favorite player growing up, Kevin Durant.
One play that was showcased in the book was an alley-oop from Durant to Edwards in the Gold Medal game against France, a full-circle moment for Edwards.
In the book, Durant had many glowing quotes about Edwards, including “I miss being around Ant every day” and “it feels like he’s part of my family.” Durant also mentioned that Edwards will quickly learn how to open a bottle of champagne, something Ant struggled with during the Gold Medal celebration in Paris.
With the Phoenix Suns likely on the verge of trading Durant this summer, the obvious speculation is that the Wolves would be in the market to acquire the eventual Hall-of-Famer, something Hine thinks is at least a possibility.
“I think [the Timberwolves] have to think long and hard about it if the opportunity presents itself. I think, as mentioned in the book, Kevin Durant speaks glowingly of Ant and how close they were and how much he loves Ant. So I don’t think, if Minnesota trade is on the table, I don’t think Kevin Durant is gonna be like, don’t send me to Minnesota, right? I think he’s gonna wanna come play with Ant. I think that much is evident.”
Ant: The Incredible Journey of NBA Rising Star Anthony Edwards can be purchased at all major bookstores as well as through the Harper Collins Publishing website.
If you would like a signed copy of the book, you can direct message Chris on Twitter/X or Bluesky to purchase a copy, or by attending one of Chris’s book signing events. The first is at Magers & Quinn Booksellers in Uptown Minneapolis on June 18th at 7:00 PM CT. The other is at the Uptown Barnes & Noble on June 28th at 1:00 PM CT.
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