Anthony Edwards became the third-youngest player in NBA history to get to 10,000 career points in the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ 131-122 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Target Center on Thursday. Edwards needed 23 points on the night to get there and hit the milestone with a fadeaway jumper in the fourth quarter.
Postgame, Edwards didn’t have much of a reaction when asked about reaching 10,000 points, but he is a little bit sick about getting there before the late great Kobe Bryant did.
“Yeah, I’m kinda sick that I got in front of Kob,” Edwards said, via Andrew Dukowitz. “I wish I would have waited like 100 days or something.”
Edwards was 24 years and 156 days old when he hit 10,000. He didn’t beat out Bryant for that third spot by much, as the Los Angeles Lakers icon was 24 years and 194 days old.
Bryant had actually shattered the previous record by almost a year when he got there on March 5, 2003, against the Indiana Pacers. Before him, Bob McAdoo held the record at 25 years and 137 days. McAdoo has now slid all the way down to 12th youngest.
As for who managed to get there before Edwards, it should come as no surprise that it was LeBron James and Kevin Durant. James was 23 years and 59 days old, while Durant was 24 years and 33 days old.
Edwards has now joined James, Durant, and Bryant as one of seven players to have hit the milestone before turning 25. Luka Doncic, Tracy McGrady, and Carmelo Anthony are the three others to accomplish this feat. James is the only one who has hit 10,000 before turning 24.
Getting back to this game, Edwards finished with 25 points (10-20 FG), seven rebounds, nine assists, one steal, and one block against the Cavaliers. The three-time All-Star helped the Timberwolves to their fourth straight win, and they’re now fourth in the West with a 25-13 record.
The Timberwolves were a bottom-feeder before Edwards arrived, and they now look set to win 50+ games for the second time in three seasons. We talk about No. 1 picks transforming franchises, and he has done just that.
The Timberwolves selected Edwards with the first pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Some wondered if he was going to be yet another inefficient shot chucker when he averaged 19.8 points on 41.7% shooting from the field in his rookie season. He has grown year by year, though, and has been remarkably efficient this season.
Edwards is averaging 29.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game for the Timberwolves in 2025-26 while shooting 50.4% from the field and 41.2% from beyond the arc. If he keeps this up and the team keeps winning, he’ll find his name in the MVP conversation.
We’ll see Edwards in action next when the Timberwolves take on the Cavaliers again at Rocket Arena on Saturday at 1 PM ET.
