Gilbert Arenas once said Anthony Edwards couldn’t be the next face of the NBA because the outside noise gets to him. But coming back after missing three games with a foot injury, Edwards was out to prove that narrative wrong, to show that the noise doesn’t affect him at all, not even Arenas’. After all, that wasn’t all Arenas had said.

Edwards had a to-do list heading into the game against OKC, and beating them was second on it. The Timberwolves took care of business with a 112–107 win. And that left just one thing.

Edwards got to it pretty quickly after a 26-point outing. Allie Clifton asked him about his clutch shot in the last minutes of the game, and Edwards spread out his arms, with a rather proud look on his face, as if he’d been waiting for this moment all along.

“I receive a lot of negative criticism because I never go for the tie. I heard Gilbert Arenas not too long ago say I’m trying to go home. I’m going for the game every time.”

Gilbert Arenas, never shy about voicing his opinions, has taken issue with Edwards’ mindset in late-game situations, specifically, his willingness to go for the win even when a tie is on the table. On paper, that logic makes sense. Playing for the tie buys you overtime, a chance to reset and fight it out again. Miss a game-winner, and the night ends right there.

Edwards, though, doesn’t operate by that textbook. He trusts his instincts, lives with the consequences, and against the Thunder, that approach paid off, even if it meant making a choice others would call unusual.

The Minnesota Timberwolves were down two with less than a minute left, but they still had the ball, and Anthony Edwards was already thinking one step ahead.

Julius Randle made the first free throw and missed the second. Rudy Gobert reacted instantly, springing up to tap the ball back toward the backcourt and keep the possession alive against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Edwards grabbed the loose ball, calmly brought it up, and worked the clock. He nudged Cason Wallace toward the wing, flashed a quick drive fake, then stepped back from deep. With 38.5 seconds left, the 25-foot three dropped cleanly through the net, putting Minnesota in front for good.

“I’m not passing the ball. I knew it was going up,” Edwards explained his mindset. “When it left my hand, I knew it was going in. It was a tough shot. But I probably shoot that shot 1,000 times in a week when I’m in the gym, so it felt like a natural shot.”

Funnily enough, this isn’t even the first time such a scenario has played out. In December last year, Edwards again had Arenas’ words inside his mind as he drew his classic plan to churn out a vital win against Houston. He delivered an incredible step-back three that even had Arenas question his earlier stance.

“Like Gilbert Arenas said, I don’t do overtime, so f— it,” Edwards said back then.

However, he also ended up receiving a $100,000 fine and spawned a side debate that became a talking point on Gil’s Arena. Today, thankfully, he sent across the message without having to empty his pockets.

Also, fans think that Ant-Man seems to have found another way as well.

Did Edwards go after the reigning MVP as well?

That step-back three wasn’t the end of Anthony Edwards’ heroics on the court. On the very next possession, he met Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at the rim and swatted away a shot from the reigning MVP. Edwards then secured the defensive rebound after Oklahoma City managed another look, starting a sequence that sent Julius Randle to the line for two free throws, pushing the Minnesota Timberwolves ahead by three.

Yet, Edwards wasn’t done. As Gilgeous-Alexander brought the ball up the floor, the Timberwolves guard read the spacing perfectly. With Jaden McDaniels sitting in the gap on Shai’s left, Edwards cut off the right-hand drive and picked the ball clean as it crossed in front of SGA’s face.

So, not long after the postgame media session wrapped up, fans noticed an Instagram account taking a jab at Gilgeous-Alexander. The account, “believethatjack,” posted a screenshot of a missed call from SGA with the caption, “jma hit you back when the highlights finish uploading.”

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The post sparked immediate speculation online, with some fans suggesting the account could be a burner tied to Edwards, pointing to how closely its tone and timing align with his personality throughout 2025. That said, there’s been no confirmation linking the account to the 2020 No. 1 overall pick, and Edwards has never suggested it belongs to him.