Anthony Edwards may dominate on the court, but his story began long before the NBA spotlight.
Raised by the strong women in his life and driven by memories that still fuel him, Edwards’ emotional tribute in 2024 reveals the depth of those roots. While his father’s legacy lingers quietly in the background, Edwards has built his own path.
Edwards Honors Chrisha Yvette With Emotional 2024 Tribute on Twitter
Chrisha Yvette played a huge role in Edwards’ life, helping raise him. She died in 2015 from ovarian cancer when he was in eighth grade.
According to Sportkicker, Edwards got emotional on X in 2024, writing: “9 years ago today, I lost my best friend. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of you, Mom. I hope I’m making you proud up there.”
He and his siblings were raised by their maternal grandmother, Shirley. He told ESPN that the whole family lived with her for a while.
When he was a kid, Edwards once wrote all of his goals on his grandmother’s wall — things like “Future McDonald’s All-American” and “Future NBA player.” In an interview with Alex Scarborough of ESPN, he shared that she was mad at first but later told him, “You’re setting goals for yourself, young man. I hope you achieve it.”
Both his mom and grandmother were his biggest supporters. Whether it was football or basketball, they were always there. He told ESPN that they would sit on a hill at Mozley Park, wear jerseys, wave pom-poms, and his mom’s voice would cut through the noise and pull his attention.
If he wasn’t playing well, he could hear her call out, “I don’t know what’s wrong with you.” That lit a fire in him. “The way she said stuff, it would piss you off to the point that you wanted to do better,” he said. “It hurts, but you know it’s for the best.”
That support ended far too soon. Just seven months after his mom passed, his grandmother also died.
“All our life the most supportive and loving people we had was our mom and grandmother,” he said.
“For them both to end up passing, it was just like a strike to the heart. It turns your heart cold. You don’t have the support you once had. You don’t have the love that you once had. So am I going to ever find that again?”
But Edwards didn’t give up. He used the pain to push himself harder and honor their memory. In a 2020 interview with 247Sports, he said, “That just made me go harder because I know they would want to see me at the top, so that made me go harder. Really, that’s all that was. Now, I got to take care of my family.”
Locals Say Edwards’ Father Could Have Been Something Special
His father, Roger Caruth, has mostly been absent from his life. When Edwards was three, Caruth gave him the nickname “Ant-Man.” Beyond that, Edwards told ESPN he doesn’t know much about his dad.
He grew up hearing more about his father than seeing him. Around town, people would say Caruth had the potential to be something special. “You can ask folks in the street,” Edwards said. “They would tell you, ‘If he kept his head on right.'”
Anthony Edwards had an incredible 2024-2025 season with the Timberwolves, averaging 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists. And as he continues on his NBA journey, putting up huge numbers and taking home awards, his parents’ influence will never fade.
