From Atlanta to Athens

Edwards grew up in Atlanta — specifically the Holy Spirit Prep neighborhood. He attended Therrell High School (a public Atlanta school) for his first two high-school years before transferring to Holy Spirit Prep — a small private school — for his junior and senior years. He was a five-star recruit and the consensus #2 prep prospect in 2019 (behind only James Wiseman).

Edwards made his college commitment in November 2018, choosing Georgia over Kentucky, Florida State, North Carolina, Miami, and Memphis. The decision was widely panned at the time — Kentucky and UNC are blue bloods that consistently produce top-3 NBA picks, while Georgia hadn’t sent a player higher than the late first round in 20+ years. Edwards’s commitment shocked recruiting analysts; Tom Crean had effectively recruited him by promising a featured ball-handling role and proximity to family in Atlanta.

The 2019-20 Bulldogs season

Edwards averaged 19.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game as a freshman. Georgia went 16-16 — disappointing, but the team’s struggles were structural (the non-Edwards roster was thin). Edwards’s most-watched game was a 37-point performance against Michigan State on November 17, 2019; the Bulldogs lost but Edwards announced himself as the #1 NBA prospect. He led the SEC in scoring and was named SEC Freshman of the Year.

Georgia’s season ended early — the Bulldogs failed to make the NCAA Tournament (no SEC team that finished 16-16 was likely to). The 2020 NCAA Tournament was canceled by COVID-19 anyway. Edwards declared for the NBA Draft on March 19, 2020 — about 6 weeks after the tournament cancellation. The 2020 NBA Draft was held remotely (the only remote NBA Draft ever) on November 18, 2020. Minnesota took Edwards #1 overall.

Georgia after Edwards

Tom Crean was fired by Georgia in March 2022 — partly because the Edwards-led team’s struggles spilled into post-Edwards seasons. The school replaced him with Mike White from Florida. Georgia has since produced more NBA prospects (Kario Oquendo, Jabri Abdur-Rahim) but no one at Edwards’s draft stock.

Edwards has remained a national NBA face since his arrival. He won the 2024 Olympic gold medal with Team USA in Paris, was named to two All-Star teams (2023, 2024), and led the Timberwolves to the 2024 Western Conference Finals — the deepest playoff run in Minnesota’s franchise history. Georgia retired Edwards’s #5 jersey in November 2023. The ‘Ant-Man’ nickname (his persona since 2020) has made him one of the most-marketable young NBA stars.

Background facts cross-referenced with the Wikipedia article on Anthony Edwards (basketball) and Pro-Football-Reference / Basketball-Reference public records.