PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns were embarrassingly eliminated 4-0 in the first round of the NBA playoffs last season by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
That sweep catapulted a handful of changes in Phoenix, which included the signing of two playmakers in free agency and the ultimate firing of former head coach Frank Vogel, which was quickly followed by the hiring of Mike Budenholzer.
For Suns stars like Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, they were able to redeem themselves with a gold medal at the Paris Olympics a few months later.
Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards joined Durant (and Booker, though Edwards has repeatedly said Durant was his favorite player growing up) in Paris to help Team USA win gold.
During a Fanatics’ Day After the Olympics with Durant and Jalen Rose as hosts, Edwards was asked how he felt after knocking off Durant in the first round.
“I’m not gonna lie, that’s my favorite question. I felt a little bad,” Edwards said, sitting across from Durant. “Just because he’s my favorite player of all time. I didn’t want to send him home like that, you know what I mean, it happened, man.”
I asked @theantedwards_ what he felt after hitting his idol @KDTrey5 out of the playoffs…
“I’m not going to lie… I felt a little bad.” pic.twitter.com/G9xyBhtNBi
— Jalen Rose (@JalenRose) August 17, 2024
Before the Olympics, Edwards said in an interview how excited he was to see Durant in action.
“Playing alongside KD is the only thing I’m looking to do,” Edwards told Yahoo! Sports.
“He’s my favorite player of all time. I’ve played against him, but playing with him? I want to see the Olympic KD that I watched on TV when he was scoring every shot in the Olympics. It’s time for me to see him. I want to watch him from the bench now. If I’m on the bench, on the floor, wherever he is, I want to see him win us a game.”
Durant had previously said the first-round series took Edwards’ respect to a whole new level.
“We always had respect for him, but playing against him and watching him compete has become even more difficult,” he added. Durant told Yahoo!.
“Ant is a student of the game. He’s a sponge, he’s got a high IQ. I didn’t realize it, he’s got a high IQ for the game. He’s going to be at that level. I wouldn’t necessarily say he takes anything from anybody, he just does the work every day.”
