“I’m still the number one option,” Anthony Edwards boasted during the Team USA training camp last month. A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then, but Ant has yet to solidify his position as a starter in the Olympics. So despite his claims, Ant-Man is not the number 1 option. But this experience is a learning curve, in which he’s rising quickly.

Team USA barely survived Serbia in the semi-final on Thursday. After a major deficit going into the final quarter, the veterans stepped up to steer the team to a gold medal game. Steph Curry‘s 36-point game made him a part of an elite list, LeBron James had a historic triple-double, while Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid‘s tandem added 14 points in the final quarter.

It was a day for the sages of the international stage. Anthony Edwards could only look on from the sidelines and absorb the spine-tingling action to close out a game for the ages. This made him realize one thing: the value of maturity and experience.

Anthony Edwards shared his realization through a 6-word message after 22 hours of Team USA’s thrilling win. “Keep some old heads around you,” Ant wrote on his X account. The post contained 4 pictures as well, featuring himself, Stephen Curry, and his idol, Kevin Durant. Chef and KD both hit game-defining three-pointers in the final quarter of the game that ultimately proved invaluable. However, despite LeBron’s contribution, Edwards strangely snubbed him from his post.

Ant’s appreciation for Steph was evident following the game as well. “Steph Curry and Joel, they came alive. They carried us today. We were down like 15-17,” Edwards said after the game. “We knew we were going to turn it around, but we didn’t know when it was going to happen, and we didn’t want to run out of time. So I know if we got stops, we’re gonna be able to put the ball in the rim. And we did that. LeBron made the layup to turn the game around. And Book [Devin Booker] hit the 3 to turn the game around, for sure.”

Anthony Edwards was one of the leading names on the USA roster during last year’s FIBA World Championship. Team USA didn’t have the experienced heads of LeBron, KD, or Steph, which resulted in a semi-final loss to Germany.

However, their win against Serbia in the Olympic semi-final showed the value of veteran experience. And Anthony Edwards doesn’t seem bitter, having to make way for the veterans in his quest for gold.

Anthony Edwards enjoying the bench role in the Paris Olympics

The Timberwolves guard has yet to start a game in the Paris Olympics so far. But he has contributed whenever he has had an opportunity across 5 games. Despite scoring only 2 points in the last game,  Edwards was comfortable enough to make way for the elements the team needed.

Talking about it after the Serbia game, Ant said, “It felt great because I think we are all playing with no egos. The whole bench is full of great players. Everybody out there is full of great players. And we were all cheering each other along. If you watch the bench, we were all hyped as Steph was making shots.”

It could’ve been a second consecutive semifinal heartbreak for Team USA  after the FIBA World Championship, but the heartbeat of the team, the Lebron-Steph-Durant trio, saved the day. They have one final hurdle in front of them now before they claim their fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal, but a tough test against France awaits.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.