Anthony Edwards details future plans with Team USA in blunt response

FIBA? The Olympics?

Aug 10, 2024; Paris, France; United States guard Anthony Edwards (5) reacts against France in the second half in the men's basketball gold medal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards performed like one of the best basketball players in the world at the Paris Olympics. He averaged 12.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game on 58/48/58.3 shooting splits as Team USA won the gold medal.

This was Edwards' second time representing the national team in a major tournament after playing on the 2023 FIBA World Cup roster last summer. The next international tournament will be the 2027 FIBA World Cup. Will he play for Team USA?

"Hell Nah..." Edwards answered. "What I did last year? Nah, but Olympics for sure.”

Team USA had a disappointing fourth-place finish at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Edwards turned 23 years old earlier this month, but he already seems to be aware of how taxing playing basketball into August every year can be on the body.

Even though his desire to play in the FIBA tourney in 2027 seems nonexistent, he could easily change his mind. Remember, he credited last summer's tournament for helping him become more comfortable playing with the Timberwolves in NBA competition.

“I think that changed my perspective about everything, being able to play with your team, playing within the game and not just try to play isolation ball all day, playing within a system," he said in May.

The 2027 FIBA World Cup will be held in Qatar, but the 2028 Olympics will be on United States home soil in Los Angeles. Edwards will be 27 when the next summer Olympics roll around and he will likely be a veteran leader and experienced voice in the Team USA locker room. With close calls against Serbia and France, the U.S. will likely need all hands on deck to keep dominating on an international scale.