Anthony Edwards Reveals He ‘Wanted to Win’ Game for His Mom Who Died from Cancer in 2015: ‘I Couldn’t Lose’
Edwards lost his mom and grandmother in the same year when he was 14
Anthony Edwards on May 10, 2026 Credit: David Sherman/NBAE via Getty NEED TO KNOW Anthony Edwards said he wanted to win the Timberwolves playoff game on Mother's Day to honor his late mother, who died in 2015 of cancer "I couldn't lose this game for her, for sure," Edwards told reporters on Sunday, May 10 Edwards had 36 points in Minnesota's win over the San Antonio Spurs Anthony Edwards wanted to win for his mom. The 24-year-old NBA star said he had his late mother Yvette , who died from cancer in 2015, on his mind during the Minnesota Timberwolves win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, May 10. "Today is Mother's Day, so I just wanted to win for my mom, and it was just that simple," Edwards, who scored 36 points in the matchup, told reporters after the game.
When a reporter followed up by asking Edwards if his mom was "on your mind all day" on Sunday, the Timberwolves star said, "For sure, I couldn’t lose this game for her, for sure. " Anthony Edwards on May 10, 2026 Credit: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Edwards was raised by his mother and his grandmother, Shirley. Seven months after Yvette's death in January 2015, his grandmother's cancer returned and she died, leaving a 14-year-old Edwards under the guardianship of his older brother, Antoine and sister, Antoinette.
"All our life the most supportive and loving people we had was our mom and grandmother,” he said in a 2020 ESPN profile. “For them both to end up passing, it was just like a strike to the heart. It turns your heart cold," he said, adding, “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? ” Edwards has also spoken about turning his grief into motivation on the court.