'You going to be one of the faces of the NBA. This is how you gotta handle it' - Josh Smith on mentoring a young Anthony Edwards in Atlanta

Former NBA All-Star Slam Dunk champion Josh Smith holds Atlanta near and dear to his heart. After all, the 6'9" forward was born in College Park, Georgia, and attended high school at McEachern in Powder Springs before playing for the Atlanta Hawks for nine seasons, building a solid reputation as an elite two-way player.

So, it's unsurprising that "J-Smoove" had a hand in the development of another Georgia hooper, Anthony Edwards. According to Josh, he met "Ant" when he was still in high school and provided him with ample guidance on what to expect in the NBA. It's safe to say that Edwards indeed listened, as he's now one of the Association's brightest stars.

Point him in the right direction

Smith, a 13-year NBA veteran, said he met the 6'4" guard at the Top 100 Camp when he was a hooper with potential oozing out of him.

"He was, like, a—I want to say a sophomore going to be a junior. And he just destroyed the camp. He looked like the best kid there. Like, guys that was, like, already seniors and all that," the left-handed forward revealed.

However, Josh said that he had a lot of people in his ear back then, making it difficult to get his message across.

"I caught him, like, you know, kind of his senior year in high school, but it was like, a lot of hands in the pot, you know what I'm saying?" Smith said on "Club 520."

Despite that, Smith said he did whatever he could to help set the explosive guard on the right path, seeing as he had future star written all over him.

"When I got to him, all I could do was basically give him the information of what he was facing, what he was about to face. It was just from the standpoint of, 'Bro, you going to be one of the faces of the NBA,' you know what I'm saying? Like, X, Y, and Z, like, 'This is how you got to handle it,'" Smith shared.

Smith felt Ant needed all the guidance he could get

Smith, the 17th pick of the 2004 NBA Draft, said he felt like Minnesota's star guard needed proper guidance to ensure he would reach his hoop dreams.

"He one of them trench babies. What people don't understand is he can really, make some money off of his story. He got a hell of a story. I think his mom passed away when he was, like, 13, 14 years old. Father really never been around. And then, like, you know, his sister and his brother had to raise him," Josh disclosed.

For this reason, Smith convinced Ant to reconsider his initial commitment to Florida State. Josh said that Edwards had wanted to be a Seminole but reneged on his commitment. He later played closer to home in Georgia, where he thrived as a Bulldog.

"I kind of let him understand the importance of going to Georgia and being around his family," the former All-Defensive Team member stated.

Now a family man himself, Ant has found his way in the NBA. A two-time All-Star, an All-NBA Team selection, and an Olympic gold medalist, Edwards has made a name for himself in the league and looks poised to achieve bigger things down the line.