Is Minnesota Timberwolves Superstar Anthony Edwards Related to Michael Jordan?

The Minnesota Timberwolves are headed to the 2023–2024 Eastern Conference Finals. The team doesn’t reach that level without superstar Anthony Edwards.

Anthony has all of the tools to enter the GOAT debate. Yes, it’s absurd to talk about someone without one NBA championship title as a potential successor to Michael Jordan or LeBron James, but someone will inevitably be that great and Ant (Ant is Anthony's nickname, originally given to him by Roger Caruth) is checking all the boxes that he needs to to be on that level.

Anthony is definitely Michael Jordan's son in the basketball sense of like father, like son. In the biological sense, Anthony isn't Michael's son. There’s no shared DNA, they’re just two relatively same-sized guys who are among the best (well, one is the GOAT) in the world to ever play the game of basketball.

In addition to barely looking alike (if you said they were cousins or an uncle and nephew, the rumor might be more believable), Anthony's family life is well documented.

Anthony's mom Yvetter and grandmother Shirley both died when he was in eighth grade. Portraits of both women were visible when Anthony was drafted number one by the Timberwolves in 2020. Both women passed on the fifth day of the month, which is why Anthony wears number 5. In addition to both women playing a large role in his life, Anthony's siblings, sister Antoinette and brother Antoine, shared legal custody of him after their mom and grandma died. Oh, and that guy that gave him the nickname Ant, Roger Caruth? That’s Anthony’s father.

Although Anthony consistently shoots down the comparisons to Michael (would you want to be compared to the GOAT?), there's a good reason the two are being mentioned together in mainstream publications like The New York Times.

Both men excel at their position (shooting guard), both are relatively the same size (Anthony is 6’4, 225 lbs, MJ is 6’6 and was 216 lbs when he played), both made All-Star Games by their fourth year in the league, and both are leaders on the court which is something that isn’t in a stat sheet.

Even after a subpar performance in Game 7 of Round 2 against the Denver Nuggets, Anthony was able to command the game and lead his team to victory despite going 6-24 from the field. It’s the kind of performance legends are made. Kobe Bryant famously went 6-24 in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals and the Los Angeles Lakers still defeated the Boston Celtics.

Now Anthony and Kobe’s respective Game 7, 6-24 performances are being debated on Reddit. If you’re getting compared to MJ and Kobe at age 22, you are definitely in consideration for future GOAT materials.

Anthony isn't Michael Jordan's son and neither is former Chicago Bull guard Jimmy Butler. Just because someone is a guard at the top of their game and super competitive doesn't mean they're related to Michael Jordan. With another NBA Finals just around the corner, don't be surprised if this unfounded rumor continues to spread.