Superstar Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards was criticized by Kendrick Perkins on ESPN’s “First Take” on May 27.
But instead of harping on Edwards’ play in the Timberwolves’ 128-126 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, which put them in a 3-1 hole in the Western Conference finals, Perkins took aim at Edwards’ personal life, saying the Minnesota guard won’t be the face of the NBA unless he is a better role model for young fans.
Perkins seemed to call back to the paternity lawsuits that Edwards is facing, and said that being a married family man with children factors into the equation for whether a player is marketed as the face of the NBA.
“You gotta check the boxes when you’re the face of the league,” Perkins said. “Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaq, LeBron [James], Steph [Curry]… they all were family men. They all were married with kids.”
The clip went viral on X, with many fans calling into question Perkins’ evaluation of the family lives of the superstars he mentioned. While James and Curry have largely made positive headlines for their relationships with their wives and children, Bird, Johnson, Jordan, Bryant, and O’Neal all have had well-documented domestic struggles both during and after their playing careers.
Perkins Had Reversed Course From Comments About Anthony Edwards
On the May 21 episode of “First Take,” Perkins had entirely different criteria for how Edwards could become the face of the league, chalking it up to on-court accolades rather than anything regarding off-court image.
Perkins picked Edwards as the Western Conference Finals star with the most to gain in these NBA playoffs, highlighting him over stars like Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton and Oklahoma City Thunder Guard Shai-Gilgeous Alexander.
Perkins even spoke favorably about the marketability and personality that Edwards has crafted for himself.
“He has the commercials, he has the charisma, he has the personality, he has the game, he has the highlights, whatever you want,” Perkins said. “He’s a championship and a Finals MVP away, and his stock will go through the roof. He will be the next face of the league, dethroning Steph Curry and LeBron James.”
Edwards & Timberwolves Face Tough Path to Finals
Regardless of which of Perkins’ criteria for becoming face of the NBA is more founded, earning an NBA Championship holds a lot of weight. Edwards and the Timberwolves currently face a tough path to achieving that.
They would need to win three straight games against the Thunder, who held the NBA’s best regular-season record in 2025. Two of those games would take place in Oklahoma City at Paycom Center.
Coming back from down 3-1 is unlikely, but has been done before – most recently by the Denver Nuggets, who did it twice consecutively in the first and second rounds during the 2020 NBA playoffs.
The Timberwolves would likely need superstar performances from Edwards in all three games to complete the comeback. Edwards has averaged 24 points per game during the series, but has been held under 20 points twice: he mustered only 18 in Game 1 and 16 during Monday night’s Game 4.
The Timberwolves will look to stave off elimination on Wednesday night when they take on the Thunder for Game 5 in Oklahoma City with tipoff set for 8:30 p.m. Eastern.
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