The Minnesota Timberwolves took Anthony Edwards first overall in the 2020 NBA Draft over LaMelo Ball … and it might not be for the reasons you think.
On an appearance on the Zach Lowe Podcast, The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski discussed Ball’s pre-draft interview process, which reportedly had not gone well, presumably giving Edwards a slight edge in the team’s evaluation. Most notable was an unusual response to a question about his post-career plans.
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Krawczynski shared:
“Why did they pick Edwards? A million different reasons in their evaluation. But one of them was that they had an interview with LaMelo Ball during this [pre-draft] process trying to figure out, ‘Hey, is this the guy for us?’ And LaMelo did not interview very well.
“And one of the questions that was asked of him is, ‘Hey, LaMelo, after you’re done playing, what do you see yourself doing when your career is over? What things do you aspire to?
“LaMelo said, ‘I want to be President of the United States.’ ”
The Timberwolves went on to select Edwards with the first pick. Edwards has averaged 23.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists in his career. He has made three All-Star appearances and made the All-NBA team twice. This season, Edwards is averaging 27.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. The Timberwolves are 7-4 this season.
The Charlotte Hornets selected Ball with the third overall pick, just behind center James Wiseman, who went second overall to the Golden State Warriors. Ball has 21.1 points, 7.5 assists and 6 rebounds per game in his career. After winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in the 2020-21 season, Ball became the fourth youngest player to make an All-Star team the following year.
Edwards has played more games in his career than Ball. Edwards has played 388 career games compared to Ball’s 237. Edwards has also advanced to the Western Conference finals twice, while Ball has yet to reach the postseason. Ball has notably dealt with a number of key injuries that have limited him so far in his career; he has appeared in just 105 of 246 total games in the three seasons that followed his 2021-22 All-Star campaign.
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Ball has averaged 23.3 points, 9.8 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game this season. He has missed the last five games of the Hornets’ season with an ankle injury. The Hornets are 4-7 this season.
Edwards did not play in the team’s first matchup of the season. The Timberwolves defeated the Hornets 122-105. Ball had 18 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. That was the last game that Ball has played in so far this season. The two teams’ next matchup will take place on April 6.
The Timberwolves’ next game will be against the Kings, while the Hornets will play the Bucks.
