Anthony Edwards Reveals Why Kevin Durant Is His Favorite NBA Player

Anthony Edwards' admiration of Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant dates back to when he watched the 2013-14 MVP in person during his Oklahoma City Thunder run.

During Wednesday's episode of the Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN's Tim Bontemps said at the 15:04 mark that Edwards is "unabashedly a fan" of Durant and then recounted a conversation with the guard to learn the genesis of the fandom.

"Well, I went to a game in Atlanta, and it was a Thunder game and Kevin was playing," Edwards told Bontemps. "And I watched him and I was like, 'That's my favorite player.'"

Edwards called Durant "my favorite player of all time" when speaking to TNT Sports' Chris Haynes at All-Star Weekend this past winter.

Leading up to the Olympics, The Athletic's Joe Vardon detailed how the Summer Games presented an opportunity for Durant to take Edwards under his wing a bit, much like what Kobe Bryant did for him at the 2012 Olympics.

Don't confuse Edwards' fondness for the 14-time All-Star with him being awestruck, though. The dynamic young guard put Durant on a poster at a Team USA practice.

Edwards and Durant have crossed paths on the court plenty of times, most recently when the Timberwolves swept the Suns in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs.

It had to feel good actually being on the same side as the future Hall of Famer when he went off for 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting in Team USA's 110-84 win over Serbia to open the group stage.