His answers to questions in media availabilities have been viral sensations ever since he bragged about his ability to dominate any activity to local sports broadcaster Marney Gellner for a “Wolves +” podcast.

His highlights are just as enthralling, dating back to his epic dunk over then-Raptors forward Yuta Watanabe.

Since his rookie season, everything Anthony Edwards has done has screamed superstar. And there were moments when the Timberwolves guard would get his 15 minutes of fame. But then his name would again fade to the backdrop of the national basketball conversation in favor of the likes of LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant.

His jersey sales have never threatened the top of the NBA store’s best-selling charts. He’s never received an exorbitant number of all-star votes.

The question always lingered: When would this made-for-TV 22-year-old star finally achieve high-end, sustained stardom?

The time has officially come.

There was a week between the Timberwolves finishing off a four-game sweep of Phoenix in Round 1 of the NBA playoffs and the opening of their Western Conference semifinal series Saturday in Denver. The official NBA social media accounts still managed to fill the feeds with Anthony Edwards content throughout the week. Edwards’ top 10 dunks of his career, his top 10 blocks of his career, his top 10 toughest shots of his career. Even his best “mic’d up moments” made an appearance.

You name it – if Anthony Edwards’ face was on it, it was going on an NBA account. Because people can’t get enough of him.

The Wolves guard was the seventh-most-viewed player on NBA social channels during the regular season, per the League. Over the first week of the playoffs, he generated 100 million video views across all NBA digital platforms, trailing only James.

A video of Edwards dancing his way out of Phoenix’s arena after Game 4 generated 6.6 million views on Twitter.

His new Adidas signature shoe flies off shelves. He has starred in recent commercials for Sprite and Bose.

“He’s the face of the league, I’ve been saying that,” Wolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns said. “He hates when I say it, but it’s true.”

That title for so long has been held by James. James, Durant and Curry have been the superstars on which the entire NBA centered. But they’re all in the back half of their 30s now. Curry didn’t make the playoffs, and Durant and James were each ousted in Round 1.

There have long been questions about who basketball fans would throw their support behind after those three were gone. International players such as Luka Doncic, NIkola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo have emerged in recent years, but Edwards — whether he likes it or not — has thrown his hat into the ring.

“He is the future of American basketball,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on NBA Today.

It’s partially because of his personality. Edwards has a magnetic quality to him, which quickly sucked in Timberwolves fans and teammates alike. He has a strong sense of humor and the charisma to take over any room. Even when he yells at teammates, they can’t help but smile back.

“I think that the people gravitated to him because he was just a likable dude,” Wolves assistant coach Micah Nori said. “I think anytime that you’re not putting on a front or you’re not faking, you don’t have to change who you are, whether you’re in front of the media, or you’re out doing commercials or playing a game. Anthony Edwards is who he is, he knows who he is, and I think that’s why he’s able to accept it so well.”

But that’s always been the case since Edwards entered the NBA as the No. 1 overall pick in 2020. What has changed between then and now is the winning.

It’s easy to overlook a young star playing up in Minnesota for a team that is scraping through the play-in, only to get bounced in the first round of the playoffs.

But there’s no ignoring a young guard who’s jawing in Durant’s face after burying a jumper over the future hall of famer, spiking his crotch after a full-court assist resulting in a Rudy Gobert and-1 and pouring in 31 points in the second half of a closeout game that sent Durant and Devin Booker home via a series sweep.

That’s the stuff of legends.

Wolves guard Mike Conley was asked this week on TNT’s pregame show who Edwards reminded him of. His answer: “A young Michael Jordan.”

“Honestly. He’s unbelievable. I think more than anything with him has been his mentality,” Conley said. “I’ve never met a guy or been a teammate with a guy who believes more in himself than Anthony Edwards. I think he thinks he’s the best player ever to play the game, to walk on earth. You can’t tell him any different. He’s going to go out there and he has a mean streak to him.”

That exact mean streak reminds NBA analyst and hall of famer Charles Barkley of Jordan and even the late Kobe Bryant.

“They would kill you to win a game. There’s not many players (like that) in today’s game — everybody wants to be buddy-buddy,” Barkley said on TNT after Edwards put the Wolves up 3-0 on Phoenix. “But man, Anthony Edwards is (putting) everyone on notice: ‘Yeah, I’m not going to wait for y’all to give me anything, I’m going to take it all.’ And I love it.”

“A superstar is official. He is here, do you understand? There was MJ. There was Kobe. And now there is Anthony Edwards,” ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said recently on First Take. “It’s like that. Ladies and gentlemen, a superstar has officially arrived in the NBA.”

Yet this superstar often shies away from taking credit. He declined to even do local media in Minnesota on Thursday. He initially walked away from the chance to do a national postgame interview after the Wolves’ Game 1 victory over Phoenix, before circling back to fulfill the obligation.

Any interview Edwards does is opened with praise for those around him. Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said the young guard is just concerned about his teammates, family, friends and competition. It’s why the Wolves are so confident Edwards will take his newfound leap in fame in stride.

“There’s not a right or wrong approach. Some guys are really about the ancillary things — the brand. I think Ant’s about the competition,” Connelly said. “He’s got a great support system, wonderful people around him. He’s allowed himself to be coached hard, which is really a testament to both Ant and coach (Chris) Finch. I think for Ant, he’s just focused on Game 1 and the other stuff is just noise.”

Nori noted Edwards is flush with swagger. He knows how good he is.

“But the fact that he still doesn’t push people away, and … everybody talks about between confidence and arrogance — and he’s just a very, very confident person, and he puts in the work and he trusts his abilities,” Nori said. “And that’s fun.”

For teammates, coaches and spectators alike.

“Anthony Edwards has moved into that tier 1 of, if he’s on, I’m watching the T-Wolves,” NBA analyst and former player J.J. Redick recently said on the Pardon My Take podcast.

Redick noted whoever the “face of the league” is needs to be someone who wins at a high level. Edwards currently has one series victory, though even that has proven to be enough to thrust him into the discussion.

“He’s certainly going to be in that conversation for the next 10 years. He is entertaining as a player. He’s got the game that I think people gravitate to, the same way that Jordan had a certain game, Kobe had a certain game, AI had a certain game, Steph, right?” Redick said on Pardon My Take. “There’s the flash, the fundamentals. Some of the footwork stuff that he does is so underrated. And then he’s got the (edge) to him, because he’s brash, he’s competitive.”

And he might be just a few wins away from being the first name sports fans think of when the NBA comes to mind. After every Timberwolves playoff victory, a swarm of people race to social media to profess their fandom for their new favorite player.

“I think No. 5, that we have running around here in Minnesota, has a chance to be the face of this league,” Nori said to Chad Hartman on WCCO Radio on Thursday, “and be one of those guys that’s up there battling to take that MVP from a Nikola Jokic.”

“Right now, I’ll say Jokic,” Smith said on First Take when asked who’s the face of the league. “But if (Edwards) sends him home, it’s a different answer.”

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By SAMY MAGDY and DREW CALLISTER (Associated Press)

CAIRO (AP) — Israel and Hamas appear to be seriously negotiating an end to the war in Gaza and the return of Israeli hostages. A leaked truce proposal hints at compromises by both sides after months of stalemated talks.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken this week praised Israel for offering what he described as significant concessions and saying “ the time is now ” for Hamas to seal the deal. Hamas leaders, meanwhile, say they are reviewing the proposal in a “positive spirit” and sending a team to Egypt in the coming days to continue the talks.

Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.

Here’s what we know so far about the current proposal, confirmed by Egyptian and Hamas officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss behind-the-scenes negotiations.

WHERE THE TWO SIDES STAND

Israeli leaders are weighing whether to accept a deal that would delay or prevent their planned ground invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah — a scenario that falls short of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledges of “ total victory ” and the destruction of Hamas.

Hamas’ leaders must decide if giving up the hostages, the group’s biggest bargaining chip, is worth securing a long-term truce but not necessarily a permanent end to the war.

The plan offered by Egyptian mediators aims to stave off Israel’s Rafah offensive, which the U.S. says would have devastating consequences for over a million displaced Palestinians crowded against the border with Egypt. The Egyptians have also warned Israel against the operation, fearing a flood of Palestinian refugees driven into its territory.

DE-ESCALATE IN PHASES

The initial stage of the deal would last for 40 days. Hamas would start by releasing female civilian hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

After this first batch, Israeli troops would withdraw from a coastal road in Gaza and head inland to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid. This would also allow displaced civilians to return to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip. Hamas would provide a list of hostages who are still alive during that time. Israel estimates that Hamas is holding about 100 hostages and the remains of 30 others either killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that sparked the war or who have died in captivity.

Within the third week, both sides would start indirect negotiations that aim to restore permanent calm. Three weeks into the first phase, Israeli troops would withdraw from central Gaza.

NEXT STEPS TOWARD PEACE

The second six-week phase would seek to finalize arrangements for a permanent calm, the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas, both civilians and soldiers, in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners. The soldier hostages would not be released before the start of the calm.

The third and final stage would include the release of the remains of deceased hostages still in Gaza, more prisoners held by Israel, and the start of a five-year reconstruction plan. The plan says that Hamas would agree not to rebuild its military arsenal.

STICKING POINTS

Both sides want to end the war on their own terms.

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Hamas leaders have for months refused anything short of a full Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip and a permanent end to the fighting. Hamas negotiators will be seeking clarification on these issues when they return to Cairo.

Israel wants to see all remaining hostages home safe, with Hamas and other militant groups crushed on the battlefield and expelled from power in Gaza — unable to launch another attack like the one on Oct. 7 that sparked the war.

Israel says the Rafah invasion is critical for these goals. Netanyahu says Israel will invade the town with or without a hostage deal.

Netanyahu also faces heavy domestic pressure. Thousands of people have joined weekly demonstrations calling on him to reach a hostage deal immediately. At the same time, hard-liners in his Cabinet have threatened to bring down the government if he ends the war.

The Biden administration, which provides Israel crucial military and diplomatic support, says it opposes a Rafah invasion unless Israel provides a “credible” plan for protecting civilians there.

POST-WAR UNCERTAINTY

It is not clear whether the cease-fire proposal addresses key questions about what happens in Gaza once the current round of fighting ends.

The United States has called for a plan that includes a return of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, which was ousted from Gaza by Hamas in 2007 and now administers parts of the occupied West Bank.

The Biden administration seeks eventual Palestinian governance in Gaza and the West Bank as a precursor to Palestinian statehood. Netanyahu and his right-wing government reject a role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza and say they will never allow a Palestinian state.

Israel wants open-ended freedom of action for its military in Gaza, while the Biden administration says it won’t accept a return of Israeli military occupation of the Gaza Strip.

It also remains unclear who will run Gaza during the five-year reconstruction phase, what will happen to Hamas during that time and who will pay for the daunting job of rebuilding.

The stakes were underscored in a new U.N. report Thursday that estimated damage caused by the war in Gaza at over $18.5 billion. It said it would take until 2040 to rebuild all of the homes destroyed in nearly seven months of Israeli bombardment and ground offensives. Gaza was already grappling with a 45% unemployment rate before the war, according to the U.N. Development Program.

Callister reported from New York.

By TARA COPP (Associated Press)

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) —

With the midday sun blazing, an experimental orange and white F-16 fighter jet launched with a familiar roar that is a hallmark of U.S. airpower. But the aerial combat that followed was unlike any other: This F-16 was controlled by artificial intelligence, not a human pilot. And riding in the front seat was Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall.

AI marks one of the biggest advances in military aviation since the introduction of stealth in the early 1990s, and the Air Force has aggressively leaned in. Even though the technology is not fully developed, the service is planning for an AI-enabled fleet of more than 1,000 unmanned warplanes to be operating by 2028.

It was fitting that the dogfight took place at Edwards Air Force Base, a vast desert facility where Chuck Yeager broke the speed of sound and the military has incubated its most secret aerospace advances. Inside classified simulators and buildings with layers of shielding against surveillance, a new test-pilot generation is training AI agents to fly in war. Kendall traveled here to see AI fly in real time and make a public statement of confidence in its future role in air combat.

“It’s a security risk not to have it. At this point, we have to have it,” Kendall said in an interview with The Associated Press after he landed. The AP, along with NBC, was granted permission to witness the secret flight on the condition that it would not be reported until it was complete because of operational security concerns.

The AI-controlled F-16, called Vista, flew Kendall in lightning-fast maneuvers at more than 550 miles an hour that put pressure on his body at five times the force of gravity. It went nearly nose to nose with a second human-piloted F-16 as both aircraft raced within 1,000 feet of each other, twisting and looping to try force their opponent into vulnerable positions.

At the end of the hourlong flight, Kendall climbed out of the cockpit grinning. He said he’d seen enough during his flight that he’d trust this still-learning AI with the ability to decide whether or not to launch weapons.

There’s a lot of opposition to that idea. Arms control experts and humanitarian groups are deeply concerned that AI one day might be able to autonomously drop bombs that kill people without further human consultation, and they are seeking greater restrictions on its use.

“There are widespread and serious concerns about ceding life-and-death decisions to sensors and software,” the International Committee of the Red Cross has warned. Autonomous weapons “are an immediate cause of concern and demand an urgent, international political response.”

The military’s shift to AI-enabled planes is driven by security, cost and strategic capability. If the U.S. and China should end up in conflict, for example, today’s Air Force fleet of expensive, manned fighters will be vulnerable because of gains on both sides in electronic warfare, space and air defense systems. China’s air force is on pace to outnumber the U.S. and it is also amassing a fleet of flying unmanned weapons.

Future war scenarios envision swarms of American unmanned aircraft providing an advance attack on enemy defenses to give the U.S. the ability to penetrate an airspace without high risk to pilot lives. But the shift is also driven by money. The Air Force is still hampered by production delays and cost overruns in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which will cost an estimated of $1.7 trillion.

Smaller and cheaper AI-controlled unmanned jets are the way ahead, Kendall said.

Vista’s military operators say no other country in the world has an AI jet like it, where the software first learns on millions of data points in a simulator, then tests its conclusions during actual flights. That real-world performance data is then put back into the simulator where the AI then processes its to learn more.

China has AI, but there’s no indication it has found a way to run tests outside a simulator. And, like a junior officer first learning tactics, some lessons can only be learned in the air, Vista’s test pilots said.

Until you actually fly, “it’s all guesswork,” chief test pilot Bill Gray said. “And the longer it takes you to figure that out, the longer it takes before you have useful systems.”

Vista flew its first AI-controlled dogfight in September 2023, and there have only been about two dozen similar flights since. But the programs are learning so quickly from each engagement that some AI versions getting tested on Vista are already beating human pilots in air-to-air combat.

The pilots at this base are aware that in some respects, they may be training their replacements or shaping a future construct where fewer of them are needed.

But they also say they would not want to be up in the sky against an adversary that has AI-controlled aircraft if the U.S. does not also have its own fleet.

“We have to keep running. And we have to run fast,” Kendall said.