Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards went viral during a Team USA intrasquad scrimmage this week in Abu Dhabi for some ice-cold trash talk.
Edwards caught a pass in the left corner from Austin Reaves and drove the baseline, beating Josh Hart off the dribble. He then proceeded to throw it down at the rim as Jaren Jackson Jr., the NBA’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, made a business decision and got out of the way.
Edwards immediately taunted Jackson, yelling, “Jump! Ain’t you the Defensive Player of the Year?”
While there was no reason for Jackson to go crashing into Edwards at the summit there (especially in such a low-stakes scrimmage), you can’t blame Edwards for wanting more of a challenge. Jackson is one of the top-tier rim protectors in the NBA as well as a pretty big trash-talker himself.
There is history between Edwards’ Timberwolves and Jackson’s Grizzlies too. The two teams met in the first round of the 2022 playoffs with Memphis winning in six games. The Grizzlies were a bit disrespectful after the victory, and there is no doubt that Edwards still remembers it.
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