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New Clip Reveals Anthony Edwards’s Cocky Message to Barack Obama During Paris Games

Kristen Wong

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.
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. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
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Last summer’s Paris Games showcased the clutch long-range shooting of Steph Curry, the empowering leadership of LeBron James, the legendary on-court presence of Kevin Durant and … the unlimited confidence of Anthony Edwards.

During Team USA’s thrilling gold medal-winning run in the 2024 Olympics, the Minnesota Timberwolves star was surrounded by all-time NBA greats as the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team would beat home nation France on Parisian soil for its historic 17th gold.

Edwards oozed confidence ahead of the tournament when he told reporters that he was “the number one option” even on a super-stacked Team USA squad. 

But the 23-year-old apparently said something even bolder as revealed in a newly aired episode of Netflix’s docuseries, Court of Gold. And he said it to none other than the 44th President of the United States.

Edwards and his Team USA teammates met Obama during the Paris Games and could be heard chatting about all things hoops. During the exchange, Obama said to Joel Embiid of Edwards, “He can hoop a little bit, huh?”

“Nah, y’all better stand down,” Edwards said. “I’m the truth.”

Obama went on to relay Edwards’s audacious boast to James and Durant.

“Nothing wrong with that,” Durant said while James smiled and took a sip of champagne.

Obama seemed totally captivated by the Timberwolves guard’s chutzpah in their brief interaction and would go on to praise Edwards as one of the rising young stars of the NBA in an October guest appearance on The Young Man and The Three.

The confidence of male basketball players in this day and age is truly limitless.

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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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