Julius Randle Reveals Clever Nickname for Anthony Edwards Amid Injury News

The Minnesota Timberwolves return to the court for Game 1 against the San Antonio Spurs, and are hoping to have Anthony Edwards back from injury at some point in the series.

Whether it could occur in the opening game of their second-round matchup or a bit later remains to be seen. Edwards suffered a bone bruise after hyperextending his knee in Game 4 against the Denver Nuggets, which sidelined him.

Fortunately for Minnesota, the injury was not severe enough to end Edwards’ postseason basketball. Still, his absence from games could certainly make it a lot more difficult to beat a team as powerful as the San Antonio Spurs. Behind NBA MVP contender Victor Wembanyama and a talented group of younger stars around him, they are the favorites to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

Amid a recent injury update suggesting Edwards was “questionable” to play in Game 1, his teammate, Julius Randle, revealed an ideal nickname for the player most refer to as “Ant-Man.”

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Ant-Man is a lesser-known superhero who became a household name thanks to Marvel’s movies, including multiple box-office “Avengers” smash hits. According to Randle, he refers to Edwards as another Marvel superhero.

“Last year, I'm on record calling him Wolverine,” he told reporters, elaborating, “I just remember last year being here at the beginning of the year and he would take like a nasty fall or like a hit or whatever, and we might have to call a timeout. We’d be like ‘Damn, he might be hurt for real,’ and then he just gets up.”

Wolverine is well-known by most people who’ve seen any “X-Men” or the more recent “Deadpool and Wolverine” film. The mutant superhero’s primary power is his ability to heal quickly from injuries, wounds, and illnesses.

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That’s the sort of resilience that Randle is suggesting Edwards has, and that most teams certainly want in the NBA. It seems Mike Conley feels the same way, admitting to reporters he was unsurprised that his teammate might return to the court.

Edwards’ career is a testament to his ability to avoid and potentially withstand injuries. Before this season, he’d never appeared in fewer than 72 games for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He’s played in the league since the team drafted him first overall in 2020.

This season, he played in 61 games, which cost him eligibility for major NBA awards. However, many players will admit that winning games and championships come ahead of those other things in sports.

For Edwards to be pushing himself to return sooner rather than later shows just how dedicated he is to being on the court to help his teammates when it matters most.

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This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 3:48 PM.