With a whopping 81 NBA players participating in the Paris Olympics, representing their nations, we are bound to see some unusual alliances as well as friends turning foes on the court. One such case is of Team USA’s windmill dunk enthusiast Anthony Edwards and French big man Rudy Gobert. While they’ve been teammates on the Minnesota Timberwolves for the last 2 years, they are currently competing against each other. As it turns out, Ant-Man is taking the competition very seriously because he has temporarily cut all ties with the Stifle Tower.

Edwards was asked if he had been in contact with Rudy during the ongoing Olympics. With no hesitation, he replied, “I talked to him when I first got here, but no, we’re competing against each other, we’re not talking.” But does that mean the two superstars are not rooting for each other’s success? Of course not.

“He knows I wanna see him. It means a lot for him, I know he loves playing for France every year, and he’s looking forward to it,” Anthony officially told FIBA. However, knowing that their respective road to a gold medal might go through each other, Gobert even made a bold claim long before the Olympics began that fired up Edwards for the tournament, “I know before it started, like mid-season, we’re talking trash to each other, and he was like, they gonna beat us, so I’m looking forward to playing against France.”

Obviously, once the Olympics are over, they will go back to being teammates and good friends, hoping to win a championship together in the NBA. But as of now, Ant-Man cannot wait to one-up the French center if they cross paths in the tournament. We know the next question that is already in your mind. So, let’s address it.

Will/Can Anthony Edwards face Rudy Gobert in the Olympics?

Well, Edwards and Gobert have not gone head-to-head so far because their teams were in separate groups. However, both nations have expectedly qualified for the knockout stages and there is a chance that USA and France might face each other in the Final for the ultimate challenge. Winning all 3 group stage games with sheer dominance, Team USA topped the seeding and will now face Brazil in the quarter-final. Meanwhile, France is set to play Canada in their next encounter.

If both teams manage to qualify for the next stage, they will have to beat one more team in the semis before they can see each other in the final.

And about their individual performance, Gobert has been highly productive throughout the tournament, especially on the defensive end. Although he is only averaging 6 points and a little over 6 rebounds, he has become the defensive anchor for France with 8 blocks in 3 games. Meanwhile, Ant-Man is also having his breakthrough party in Paris as he has undeniably been one of the best players for Team USA so far.

He showed it during the final group stage game against Puerto Rico. The 22-year-old boy, who some from the hoops community dare to call the next Michael Jordan, solely took over with a game-high 26-point performance while going 11-of-15 shooting. Moreover, with the French team starring Victor Wembanyama, fans cannot wait to see the two teams clash for an epic final encounter.

Do you want to see Edwards vs Gobert in the Olympic final?

Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.