LeBron James Describes the Significance of the Message He Sent to Anthony Edwards

After Minnesota defeated Los Angeles in five games, LeBron James gave an explanation of why he instructed Edwards to move on.

Last summer, LeBron James and Anthony Edwards competed together in the Olympics in Paris. James’s Los Angeles Lakers and Edwards’ Minnesota Timberwolves faced up in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs less than a year later. The young buck was effective in this case, as Edwards assisted in defeating James and the Lakers in five games.

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – APRIL 25: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots the ball against Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first quarter of Game Three of the First Round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center on April 25, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. David Berding/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by David Berding / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

During the customary postgame chitchat following the series-ending defeat at Crypto.com Arena, James delivered a straightforward message to Edwards: “It’s the next step now.”

LeBron James opens up on what he spoke to Anthony Edwards

Speaking on Steve Nash’s Mind The Game podcast on Thursday, James talked about the significance of that message for him and the reasons he wanted to share it with Edwards—beyond the simple act of encouraging, anyhow.

James addressed Nash, saying: “For me to just tell him to take the next step, it doesn’t always mean, OK, well, Western Conference finals, now you gotta be in the Finals,” 

“It’s like, take the next step. You as a person. You as a player. Continue to get better and better and better. Your time’s going to come. I can’t decide when that’s going to be. Sometimes we have no control over when that next step (happens), as far as going to the Finals and winning. We (don’t always) have the opportunity to do that. But we do have control over making the next step in our own individual journey.

“That’s what it was about. I love seeing it. I loved seeing Jayson Tatum take that next step. Now I see Ant taking that next step. It’s a proud feeling for me as a player whose been in the league for so long.”

The entire interview may be found above, with James’s remarks mentioned above starting at 24:30.

It’s clear that James is grateful for the chance to guide the next generation. Naturally, his lifespan is so absurd that it seems as though he has been doing that for numerous generations.

Game 2 of the Wolves’ second-round series against the Golden State Warriors is set for Thursday night, and Edwards is attempting to follow James’s advise.

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