Being able to play in the NBA is a dream that most ballers fail to attain. The ones who do get drafted often have to go through a ‘reality-check’ experience-you know, the exact moment when the realization dawns that you are now playing in the big leagues. For a New Orleans Pelicans star, this epiphany came when he faced the Minnesota Timberwolves. Amid the playoffs chaos, this 22-year-old NBA forward recalled his intimidating encounter with Wolves star Anthony Edwards.

The Minnesota Timberwolves were matched up against the Denver Nuggets for the playoffs series. Unlike the nerve-wracking Golden State Warriors-Sacramento Kings face-off, the Nuggets were able to secure a spot in the Conference semi-finals by Game 5.

Anthony Edwards intimidated a rookie Pelicans star mid-air

In the latest episode of JJ Redick’s The Old Man and The Three,?Trey Murphy shared several significant moments from his two-year NBA career. When asked about Anthony Edwards’ potential as a defensive player, Murphy admitted that the Wolves star is in his top-five list. Additionally, he also shared his “Welcome to the NBA” moment with the podcast’s listeners.

The incident took place during Murphy’s rookie year-the Pelicans were up against the Timberwolves. He said, “This is third quarter, they’re on a little bit of a run and Anthony Edwards is coming full speed down the right side of the court.”

?Watching Edwards speed toward the paint, Murphy recalled that he had told his teammate to ‘cut him’ during the transition and force Edwards to change direction. However, when his teammate failed to do so, it was up to Murphy to step up.

He continued, “I’m just down there waiting for Anthony Edwards and I was like, ‘Alright, I’m gonna time this up. I’m actually gonna try to go get this’. The power that he went back on the tomahawk was so strong I said, ‘I’m not getting that’. So I bailed out in the air.”

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Trey Murphy recalls a LeBron James moment

In the same podcast episode, Murphy shared a particular post-game interaction with Lakers superstar LeBron James. After losing to the Lakers, the Pelicans star asked the 4x NBA champion for a picture with his mother. Given that Murphy’s mom was a huge LeBron fan, the 19x All-Star obliged his request and took a picture just minutes after the game.

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Despite being a Kobe Bryant fan himself, Murphy said that he was appreciative of James’ sweet gesture.