Who Are Anthony Edwards' Parents? All About the NBA Star's Mom Yvette and Dad

Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards was raised by his mom and grandmother

Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards has had the support of his family to motivate him throughout his career.

The shooting guard was born to his dad, whose name is not known, and mom Chrisha Yvette Edwards on Aug. 5, 2001. He was primarily raised by his mother and grandmother, Shirley, however, they sadly both died when Anthony was 14 years old, leaving him under the guardianship of his older brother and sister.

In a profile for ESPN in November 2020, Anthony admitted that after the loss of his mother and grandmother, trust was a difficult thing for him.

"There are only two people who are going to get my all, but that's over with," he said. "Nobody's going to get it."

After their deaths, Anthony vowed to make the two, who had attended all of his games from childhood, proud, his brother, Bubba, told ESPN.

Now, Anthony is the breakout star of the 2023-24 NBA season, leading his team to several playoff victories. His success has sparked newfound interest in his family — including false social media rumors that he is actually the son of fellow NBA star Michael Jordan.

From giving him his nickname to attending each of his games, here’s everything to know about Anthony Edwards’ parents.

Anthony’s father gave him his nickname when he was a baby

Since he was a kid, Anthony has been known as “Ant Man,” a nickname his dad bestowed upon him when he was just a toddler. However, the NBA star told ESPN that he didn’t know much about his dad otherwise, though people around town did tell him he was a skilled basketball player himself.

"You can ask folks in the street," Anthony said. "They would tell you, 'If he kept his head on right ...' "

Yvette raised Anthony alongside his grandmother

With Anthony’s dad out of the picture, Shirley stepped in to help raise Anthony and his siblings. The family even lived with her for some time, he told ESPN, and enjoyed weekly dinners out together.

One time, when he was a child, Anthony decided to etch out his goals on the wall of his grandmother's home in black Sharpie, writing, “Future McDonald’s All-American” and “Future NBA player” in his shared bedroom.

When Shirley found out, she was furious at first but the anger quickly passed.

"You're setting goals for yourself, young man. I hope you achieve it,” he said she told him.

Yvette was passionate at Anthony’s games when he was a child

Together, Shirley and Yvette attended each of Anthony’s games. When he was young, Anthony was first more into football, and his mom could be heard shouting at him from the sidelines throughout the game. Decked out in pompoms and a jersey, Yvette was often hard on Anthony, Bubba said, but only because she wanted to keep pushing him.

"The way she said stuff, it would piss you off to the point that you wanted to do better," he told ESPN. "It hurts, but you know it's for the best."

While playing football, Anthony often blew Yvette kisses during the game. If he had a run down the field, she’d run parallel to him, shouting out pointers or cheering him on.

"She had no choice but to yell," Andrew Banks, Anthony’s childhood football coach, told the outlet. "She had the best kid."

Yvette and Shirley died when Anthony was 14 years old

On Jan. 5, 2015, when Anthony was in 8th grade, his mom died from cancer. Seven months later, his grandma’s cancer returned and she also died. Bubba told ESPN Yvette and Shirley’s death left a mark on Anthony, who started internalizing his feelings more.

"All our life the most supportive and loving people we had was our mom and grandmother,” he said. “For them both to end up passing, it was just like a strike to the heart. It turns your heart cold.”

He continued, “You don't have the support you once had. You don't have the love that you once had. So am I going to ever find that again?”

He's honored his mom and grandmother through his career

Now, Anthony uses his mother and grandmother’s death as fuel in his basketball career, he told 247sports in January 2020.

“That just made me go harder because I know they would want to see me at the top so that made me go harder really that’s all that was,” he said. “Now, I got to take care of my family.”

In high school and through college, Anthony wore the No. 5 on his jersey in honor of the day of the month both Yvette and Shirley died.

On the day of the NBA draft in 2020, Anthony was bolstered by both of their memories, sitting beside paintings of the two as he waited to be drafted.

“As you can see my grandmother’s right here and my mother’s right here,” Anthony told SEC Network ahead of the draft, pointing to each of their paintings. “The shirt, with the collaboration I had, I got my grandmother and my mother’s name on my shirt so they’re with me at all times.”

There have been rumors that Michael Jordan is his dad

While entirely unfounded, rumors have swirled in the NBA that the legendary Chicago Bulls player Michael Jordan was Anthony’s dad. Some fans pointed to their similar facial characteristics, as well as their impressive statistics.

Both played the same position in the NBA and Anthony has a similar stature to Jordan. While Anthony is 6’ 4” and 225 pounds, Jordan was 6’ 6” and 216 pounds. However, the two are not related.

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