NBA’s Anthony Edwards left stunned as grandfather, 82, surprises him in crowd for first time since high school

NBA star Anthony Edwards was met with a heartwarming surprise on Monday as his grandfather showed up to watch him play for the first time in years.

Ben, 82, reportedly had not seen Edwards, 23, play since he was in high school.

But on Monday, he surprised the Timberwolves guard by attending Minnesota’s matchup against the Hawks in Atlanta.

Edwards was not aware that Ben – who lives in the Atlanta area – would be there until he spotted him sitting courtside by the baseline prior to the game, as seen in a touching video captured by Minnesota Star-Tribune reporter Chris Hine. 

Edwards ran over to his grandfather and gave him a hug before sitting down to talk with him.  

‘Hey man, it’s about time,’ Ben said when asked by Hine why he wanted to attend the game. ‘I’m 82, I’ll be 83 in February. I have to go see him at least once. … I feel good. Couldn’t get much better than this here.’

It was the first time that Edwards’ grandfather had watched him play since high school

Edwards had not seen his grandfather in two years.  

‘This is my first NBA game with my granddad,’ Anthony said after the game, which Minnesota lost 117-104. ‘Sad I ain’t get the W for him, but I’m just happy he was here. My heart was warm when I seen him. That was great.’

Edwards did not have his finest game, as he scored just 16 points, but the Georgia native has established himself as one of the brightest talents in the league.

He’ll likely earn a third All-Star nod this year and is averaging 25.3 points per game, while shooting a career-best 41.4 percent from three-point range.

Nonetheless, the Timberwolves have struggled after trading away Edwards’ co-star, Karl-Anthony Towns, to the Knicks in the offseason.

With the loss to the Hawks on Monday, Minnesota fell to 14-14 on the year – currently placing them at 10th in the Western Conference.

One season removed from winning 56 games and finishing third in the West, Edwards and Co. will look to turn things around sooner than later.