Is Anthony Edwards becoming the next big name in terms of signature sneakers? For someone who has been dubbed as the ‘next Michael Jordan’ due to his dominance on the basketball court, it kind of made sense for the 23-year-old to follow through with his line of shoes. Unlike the Bulls legend, however, he eventually decided upon Adidas to make this dream a reality. Lo and behold, the AE1s came and took the NBA world by storm. Having released several different versions of it now, the billion-dollar brand has created a level of craze by making it one of the most sought-after hoop shoes on the market, thanks to a unique marketing campaign and the player’s meteoric rise. This craze is not limited to just NBA fans, as Anthony Edwards himself recently found out.

The official Instagram account of Bleacher Report Kicks and B/R Walk-Off recently highlighted the presence of Minnesota Twins pitcher, Bailey Ober, at the game against the Cleveland Guardians. What caught the social media handles’ attention was the fact that the athlete was seen donning an alternate version of the AE 1 Lows, designed as cleats for the big league baseball field. This reportedly marks the first time that Anthony Edwards’ shoes have been worn by a professional athlete in an MLB game. Being in awe over receiving such an honor, Anthony Edwards himself highlighted the moment on his Instagram story, and wrote, “That’s hard Jack.”

Even before the commencement of the game, Bailey Ober took it upon himself to praise the Cleats. In an earlier clip recorded and highlighted on social media, Ober could be seen holding the modified AE1s and stating, “I feel like it’s pretty cool whenever you get to rock a local star player’s shoes, and then you get to put some cleats on, and put them in the game out here. It’s going to be pretty sweet.” More than displaying sportsmanship by supporting a player from another field of sports, Ober donning Edwards’ signature sneakers also displayed an image of Minnesota pride. After all, the NBA star has only bettered the franchise since his arrival, recently managing to take it to the Conference Finals for the first time since 2004! And he did all that whilst wearing his Adidas shoes. Therefore, if the same level of success can be rubbed off on the MLB player as well, then so be it.

Since 1984, Nike changed things for the better by signing Michael Jordan, the same phenomenon is seeing a repeat, but in regards to Adidas and Anthony Edwards. Just a few weeks after they were launched in 2023, the AE 1s quickly became the latest release to quickly sell out on Adidas’ website. According to a May 2024 report by Sportico, the StockX website, Ant’s sneakers were being sold at 22% more than the retail price. On top of that, the report also claimed that the player was somewhat responsible for the stock price to take a 30% jump in the last six months till May. Complex even went on to state that Anthony Edwards made “basketball sneakers feel cool again.” Unfortunately, while the Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard has won over his own sports fanbase and even an MLB star, the same cannot be said about everyone.

Noah Lyles refused to attend an Adidas event honoring Anthony Edwards: “You’re giving him a shoe?”

Noah Lyles is not someone who has been viewed too favorably amongst the NBA fraternity recently. For one thing, he created a bit of controversy last year by criticizing the fact that the term ‘World Champions’ is used to refer to the winners of the NBA Finals. If fans were quick to forget that, however, he may have reignited that fury by taking a shot at Anthony Edwards.

Back in June 2024, a report in TIME Magazine by Sean Gregory touched base on why the Olympic medalist refused to attend Anthony Edwards’ signature shoe launch last year. The invitation had appeared just as Lyles was working out a contract extension with the brand. Disappointed, the player was reportedly caught stating, “You want to do what? You want to invite me to (an event for) a man who has not even been to an NBA Finals? In a sport that you don’t even care about? And you’re giving him a shoe?” However, Lyles also added, “No disrespect” and that he considers Edwards to be an “amazing athlete.” Despite this, the track and field sprinter had to ask, “How could you not see that for me?”

On the same date that the report came out, Noah Lyles took to his official X account to clarify that he feels Edwards “deserves his shoes.” On top of that, he stated that he couldn’t attend the event due to not “finding time based on my prior engagements.” However, people would not be too quick to dismiss the report by TIME magazine. After all, it was the Olympic athlete himself who highlighted his desire for the future by stating, “I want my own shoe. I want a sneaker. Ain’t no money in spikes.” Unfortunately, the same is yet to materialize. Despite the issues with Lyles, no one can deny the success that Adidas has found by putting Anthony Edwards at the forefront.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.