Before being the Wolves’ pack leader, Anthony Edwards was a Bulldog. And it only sits right that the Georgia program takes its place in the roaring success of its alumnus. Edwards’ signature sneaker line with Adidas has been nothing short of a jackpot. Retail prices are over the roof, and it’s hard to get your hands on the fast-growing sneaker. Through its short time on the market, the shoe has seen various iterations. But none that shed light on Edwards’ stepping stone into the world of the NBA.

That wait is finally over. After a patriotic colorway for the Paris Olympics, Adidas is releasing The Pure Ruby AE 1. The shoe will be live on their website and in select stores on Saturday. To celebrate the release, Anthony Edwards wrote a short, yet reassuring message to the Bulldogs fandom on his Twitter.

“You know how we comin @UGABasketball #GoDawgs,” he wrote. 

The shoe seems to be a long time in the making. During the ongoing WNBA season, Indiana Fever’s Erika Wheeler first debuted the red and black PE. It instantly caught the attention of the fans who noticed a possible future release coming. Now, they are finally here. It’s one of the few ways that Edwards has managed to show his admiration for Georgia.

During the postseason, after sweeping his idol, Kevin Durant, a reporter posed a question to Edwards. He asked where he played in college. Rather than a straightforward answer, Edwards indirectly spoke to Georgia, almost as if he representing them while conquering the NBA court.

“Yeah, UGA, you know what’s up,” said the 22-year-old.

The shoe in general has seen a seismic rise, labelled as one of the best signature shoes in the NBA today. After seeing the craze behind the enchanting star, Adidas reportedly signed Edwards to an extension that pays him eight figures every year. A deserved promotion for someone who boomed the shoe market for Adidas.

Anthony Edwards didn’t have great success with Georgia

Edwards entered the Bulldogs’ programs as one of the highest-ranked players in the country. Just like any other collegiate star, he played one season as a necessity to enter the league. During the run, he averaged 19.2 points, the second most in the program’s history by a freshman. It was here that his charismatic personality and explosive athleticism came to the notice of the basketball world.

A star was born within their ranks. But as far as the team goes, they achieved rather underwhelming results. The team, under second-year coach Tom Crean, finished with a 16-16 record despite having a well-constructed roster around their star player. As the ace, Edwards though didn’t have the opportunity of having a full season due to the pandemic.

If it wasn’t for the shortened campaign, there could have been a resurgence that might have increased the already exponential allure of Ant-Man. However, it didn’t waver his draft projections. Edwards remained the ace.

The Minnesota Timberwolves didn’t stutter to pick him with the first pick in the 2020 draft. As his story proves, he was the transformational component the Wolves were after. Now entering his fifth season with Minnesota, Anthony Edwards’ stardom could hike rapidly. But his Atlanta spirit and love for Georgia remains stable.