NEWS UPDATE: After Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordans Era NBA has no rivalry as LeBron James became flop

The latest: LaMelo Ball skipped the college route in favor of playing overseas after his family’s apparel and sneaker company, Big Baller Brand, threatened his eligibility. He played in 12 games for the Illawarra Hawks of Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL) and averaged 17 points per game, 7.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.6 steals on 37.5% shooting from the field. He was selected No. 3 overall by the Hornets in 2020 and has since made one All-Star appearance (2022) despite battling injuries throughout his career.The latest: A player who’s already drawing comparisons early in his career to Michael Jordan given his offensive arsenal, Anthony Edwards was the No. 1 pick in 2020 after a productive freshman season at Georgia, where he averaged 19.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists a game. Edwards was the No. 1 player in 2019’s Top247 recruiting rankings. The scouting report coming out of college was simple on Edwards: He impressed NBA executives and scouts with his versatile scoring attack, playmaking off the bounce and his long-term potential as a defender. He’s done all of that and then some in the NBA.

Whether it’s a thunderous baseline dunk or a signature smile trotting down the floor, Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards has ascended to top status in the NBA Playoffs this season as the face of the league and a former crown jewel in the star-studded 2019 recruiting cycle. That was the elite group whose high school film and overall scouting was unprecedented leading into the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced a number of college basketball programs to evaluate in different ways.

For Edwards, the top player in his class, the future No. 1 overall pick and two-time NBA All-Star landed at Georgia, where he played one season under former coach Tom Crean and averaged 19.1 points per game as the SEC’s top player. Now, he’s a couple wins from the Western Conference Finals and should be one of the captains for Team USA later this summer at the Paris Olympics