Anthony Edwards revived the sneaker rivalry in the NBA with the release of ‘AE1’. The commercials didn’t mask anything. He announced himself on a billboard, a new face of the league. What it also did was paint a target on his back. Following Jayson Tatum’s championship conquest, Jordan Brand released an advert seemingly covering up his orange billboard.

A year later, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made a statement with Converse. After beating Edwards in the WCF, they came out with a commercial starring a literal ant. However, Anthony Edwards isn’t affected by such shots. He doesn’t mind having a target on his back, but he just made one request of his competitors.

“I mean, I don’t really care about what people say about me. That doesn’t bother me. I’mma sleep well at night, right? But just don’t hate on my people. Yes. Like, you know, let them grow,” he said in an interview with Complex.

Adidas’ appeal has only grown since Edwards’ rampant rise in the NBA. His signature sneaker was just as bold as he was. In the opening advert, the 24-year-old openly threw out Puma and Nike shoes from a duffel bag. It was a declaration that eventually directed the storm in his direction. However, seeing the wave it sparked, Edwards is convinced of his vision.

“I mean, listen, if they doing something to say something about me when I ain’t say nothing about them, that mean we doing something right,” Anthony Edwards added, responding to SGA’s commercial. And he doesn’t plan on staying silent. “We going to have something back,” he professed. And now that the world has seen a glimpse of his second signature shoe with Adidas, Ant-Man has some big plans.

Anthony Edwards assembles his dream team for the AE2

Considering the roaring success that Adidas’ Anthony Edwards 1 sparked, the anticipation for his sophomore signature sneaker only grew. A few weeks ago, while in China for the ‘Believe That’ tour, Anthony Edwards found it to be the perfect time to showcase the creation. Its first colorway, ‘With Love’, followed a similar silhouette but with some hooper upgrades.

There might be some bias. But according to Anthony Edwards, his newest release “are the best basketball shoes to ever be created,”. And while they are scheduled to release in October, Edwards wants a few of Adidas’ prime athletes to feature in them.

“Slick, of course. Uh, and um I definitely want uh Patrick Mahomes to be in it… Tyreek Hill… We got to get the cheetah. Like I’m a big football guy, so you know, Travis Hunter, we got to get those guys in there for sure,” said Edwards.

Slick refers to his best friend, Nick Maddox, who has already featured in commercials before. He even has his own colorway for the Anthony Edwards 1 sneaker. Additionally, Travis Hunter debuted the first sneaker on the NFL pitch and is among the most promising rookies of his class. Little needs to be said about the phenoms that are Patrick Mahomes and Hill.

Getting them all together will be a challenge, but they are all part of the Adidas family. And if the buzz is anything like the first signature sneaker, Anthony Edwards might break the market once again.