Anthony Edwards’ previous All-Star Game comments aged like milk, but left fans smiling

“It is what it is at this point.”

That’s the now infamous quote from Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards the day before the 2026 NBA All-Star Game. The 24-year-old superstar gave that response when asked if more effort would be made with the new All-Star game format. His nonchalant answer probably didn’t get Adam Silver excited.

But a day later, Edwards’ play on the field belied that earlier comment. Ant clearly cared so much that he was named the 2026 NBA All-Star Game MVP.

Edwards credits Wemby with making the effort

In recent years, the conversations surrounding the NBA All-Star Game have focused on the lack of effort from the participants. If they don’t care, why should the fans? Silver has tried to find an answer by changing the format of the game almost annually.

This year, American players played two teams and the rest of the world a third team, as the three competed in a round-robin tournament. It was clear from the start that, at least for the time being, Silver had found a format that would get the competitive juices out of the players.

Ant-Man certainly took notice and saw his Stars team easily dispose of the other American team, the Stripes, 47-21 in the final. That was preceded by a two-point overtime win for the Stars over the World and a two-point loss to that same Stripes team.

After the match, Edwards credited Victor Wembanyama for the greater effort.

“I’m not going to lie, Wemby set the tone. He came out hard, and you know we had to follow that, and we had to continue as a red team, and we did that,” Edwards said.

No one wants to be embarrassed, so if an effort is made and you slack off, it will be mocked on social media. So if it took one player to raise the bar and make others work hard, shout out to Wemby.

Now, much of Edwards’ interview with the All-Star Game media on Saturday was funny, with Ant-Man giving humorous responses. Did he really believe that lack of trying “is what it is” at the All-Star Game, or did he already know he would put in the effort necessary to win?

Edwards put on a show and made sure there were many happy fans across Minnesota. He is now the second Timberwolves player to be named All-Star Game MVP, following Kevin Garnett in 2003. Playing at the MVP level as an All-Star is hopefully a harbinger of what lies ahead for Ant-Man for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs.