Minnesota Timberwolves’ All-Star Anthony Edwards announced that he is switching jersey numbers. Edwards will wear No. 5 on his back for the 2023-24 season instead of No. 1, which he wore throughout his first three seasons in the NBA.
Edwards’ new jersey number was confirmed by the Timberwolves via pair of social media posts on Tuesday.
Edwards has a special connection to the No. 5, wearing it in high school and college. However, continuing to wear it as a pro proved quite challenging.
In his rookie year with the Timberwolves, the No. 5 was taken by Malik Beasley, who wasn’t interested in making a switch. Beasley was traded to the Utah Jazz last summer, but Edwards couldn’t snatch it as the league’s deadline for switching jersey numbers had already passed.
The No. 5 didn’t stay available for too long, with forward Kyle Anderson taking it after signing with the franchise in free agency ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. But luckily for Edwards, Anderson was much more open to giving it away than Beasley was.
“I wanted to do it after my first year; I couldn’t do it. I wanted to do it after my second year; I couldn’t do it,” Edwards said about the switch. “We were just waiting for the right time.”
