After the defeat to the Lakers on Wednesday, Anthony Edwards returned to Minnesota licking his wounds. But the pain of opening night’s loss was outmatched by the news that followed on Thursday. The tragic news from Florida came—Amir Abdur-Rahim was no more. One of the brightest coaches in college basketball died after complications arose from a medical procedure he was undergoing. Ant-Man didn’t get the opportunity to dedicate a win to his former coach, but when the T’Wolves faced the Raptors, he got the chance.

After Minnesota’s 112-101 win over the Raptors, Anthony Edwards showed his gratitude to his former coach for all his teachings. Taking to social media, Ant-Man shared a montage from the game, including his pictures with Abdur-Rahim. The All-Star guard captioned the post, “6am Therrell HS Mode! R.I.P. Coach Amir”. Jaylen Brown joined in the grief, sharing a heartfelt “RIP” message along with a white dove emoji while Lakers rookie Quincy Olivari added a “💯“ emoji in the comments.

It was Abdur-Rahim who brought Edwards into the spotlight by recruiting him for the Georgian team during the 2018-19 season. He was assisting head coach Tom Crean at the Bulldogs, who still vouch for the bond that Abdur-Rahim and Ant shared. “If you asked Anthony to name somebody that he absolutely relies on, believes in and he knows will tell him the truth no matter what, he’d put Amir in the first sentence,” Crean stated.

Knowing the kind of love Edwards had for Amir, Crean took the responsibility of informing the Wolves guard of the South Florida coach’s demise before he got to hear it from the media. Edwards will certainly remember the huge impact his former coach had on his life, which played a significant role in bringing him to where he is now. Even coach Rahim held Edwards in the highest regard and was ready to sacrifice for the talented young man from Atlanta.

Amir Abdur-Rahim was willing to give up a golden opportunity for Anthony Edwards

Within a year, their bond had grown so strong that Abdur-Rahim was okay with staying back as an assistant coach at Georgia for Edwards rather than accepting his new coaching job. After more than a decade of waiting, Amir finally received his breakthrough at Kennesaw State in 2019 but he didn’t accept it immediately. Before setting foot on his new journey, he spoke to Ant.

Abdur-Rahim revealed the incident three years later on the “Coaching Origins” podcast. “Before I accepted the job, I called a few people,” the ex-coach said. “I called Anthony and I just said, ‘Hey man, I got this opportunity, but if you need me here, I’ll stay. I’m perfectly OK with it.'”

Abdur-Rahim valued his relationships way more than his career, which is the reason he is loved and respected by everyone who knew him. Amir’s passing was certainly a blow to Edwards and should give him one more reason to leave destruction in wake on his journey to NBA greatness.