Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards is sporting a new look in the 2023-24 season.
After wearing No. 1 for the first three seasons of his NBA career, Edwards broke the news to The Athletic's Shams Charania in the 2023 offseason that he was changing his jersey number to No. 5.
"For sure," Edwards said with a smile on his face when asked if he'd be a better No. 5 than No. 1. "A whole different player. Just a lot of athleticism, a lot more dunks. Just, you know, a different level of play because I've got my number on my back now."
It's been a long time in the making for Edwards. Here's what you need to know about his history with No. 5.
Why did Anthony Edwards change his jersey number?
Edwards wore the No. 5 in high school and college. He wanted it to be his number when the Timberwolves selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, but one of his teammates at the time, Malik Beasley, had it. Edwards is said to have pressed Beasley to give up the number but wasn't able to convince him.
Beasley has since been traded from the Timberwolves. Kyle Anderson wore No. 5 on the Timberwolves during the 2022-23 season, but he wore No. 1 in previous stops with the Spurs and Grizzlies. In his conversation with The Athletic's Shams Charania, Edwards said that Anderson "likes No. 1 anyway," opening the door for them to swap numbers.
In addition to being Edwards' long-time number, the No. 5 serves as a tribute to two important figures in his life.
As reported by Evan Daniels of 247 Sports, Edwards has dedicated his basketball career to his mother, Yvette, and his grandmother, Shirley, both of whom passed away from cancer when he was in eighth grade. According to Daniels, his mother and grandmother died on the 5th of the month. Edwards wore No. 5 in their honor.
“That just made me go harder because I know they would want to see me at the top so that made me go harder really that’s all that was,” Edwards said. “Now, I got to take care of my family.
“It drove me. I already had a chip on my shoulder because nobody really knew who I was but that really drove me to really work hard.”
Additionally, Edwards was born on Aug. 5. He has multiple ties to the number.
Anthony Edwards stats
Edwards enters his fourth season in the NBA with career averages of 21.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He is a one-time All-Star, having earned the honor for the first time in the 2022-23 season.
- 34.2 minutes per game
- 21.8 points per game
- 5.1 rebounds per game
- 3.7 assists per game
- 1.4 steals per game
- 0.6 blocks per game
- 2.7 turnovers per game
- 44.1 percent field goal shooting
- 35.2 percent 3-point shooting
- 77.0 percent free throw shooting
