Carmelo Anthony Says Anthony Edwards 'Can't Run' from Face of NBA Conversation

NBA legend Carmelo Anthony expressed his belief this week that Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards has to embrace the idea of being the face of the NBA in the coming years.

Speaking Thursday on the Wave Original 7PM in Brooklyn (h/t Josue Pavon of ClutchPoints.com), Melo suggested that Edwards can't shield himself from the face of the NBA conversation while also being a spokesperson for multiple brands:

"I love Ant, but you can't run from that, especially when everybody is trying to give you the face; you can't run from that. You can't reject it and then be in four out of five commercials. You can't do that. You can't say I don't want this, and then get Adidas, Sprite, this commercial, you can't reject it. You got to pick a side. Either you just play ball, and you do what you do. This is what comes with being a superstar."

The discussion regarding Edwards and his place in the league stems from recent comments the T-Wolves guard made when asked during All-Star weekend if he views himself as the future face of the league.

Per ESPN's Dave McMenamin, Edwards responded to that question by saying, "Not really," before adding, "That's what they've got Wemby for."

Edwards was referring to San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, who was the NBA Rookie of the Year and the second-place finisher in Defensive Player of the Year voting last season after being the No. 1 overall pick in 2023 NBA draft.

Wembanyama followed that up with his first career All-Star selection this season, although the Spurs ruled him out for the remainder of the season on Thursday due to deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder.

Edwards, 23, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, and he has steadily improved with each passing season.

An All-Star in each of the past three campaigns, Edwards is averaging a career-high 27.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.2 three-pointers made per game this season to go along with 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals.

Edwards finished seventh in NBA MVP voting and was an All-NBA Second Team selection last season, and he is trending toward even better results this year.

Entering this season, Edwards won a gold medal as part of the United States men's basketball team at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, and he was arguably the most effective player outside of the Big Three of LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.

Since James is 40 and both Curry and Durant are 36, three of the greatest players of all time are going to be out of the league sooner than later.

Once that happens, others will have to step up and be the faces of the league, and Edwards is very much in that discussion along with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Wembanyama, plus veteran players such as Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum.

There is still a ton of talent in the NBA and the league will be in good hands once James, Curry and Durant retire, but Melo is clearly among those who want to see players like Edwards step into the spotlight when that time comes.