When Anthony Edwards crossed the 10,000 career points threshold against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, he didn’t simply reach a round number. He reached an age-based checkpoint so exclusive it functions like a scouting report written in permanent ink: Edwards became the third-youngest player in NBA history to get there, behind only LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
The moment arrived in the fourth quarter, fittingly without theatrics, just a bucket. Edwards hit the five-digit mark with a 13-foot fadeaway jumper midway through the fourth, punctuating a night where he stuffed the box score with 25 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in a Timberwolves win.
Anthony Edwards has reached 10,000 career points, becoming the third youngest in NBA history to do so, behind only LeBron James and Kevin Durant. pic.twitter.com/loUv5n0gTl
— OpenCourt-Basketball (@OpenCourtFB) January 9, 2026
Edwards reached 10,000 at 24 years and 156 days old, trailing only James (23 years, 59 days) and Durant (24 years, 33 days).
In a league where scoring has never been more plentiful, getting to 10,000 before 25 still isn’t normal. It’s not even common. Only seven players in league history have reached 10,000 career points before turning 25, a marker for the kind of early-career production that usually belongs to future Hall of Famers and era-definers.
Minnesota’s 131–122 win over Cleveland was built on an offensive avalanche, a 43-point third quarter and an overall shooting clinic as the Wolves ripped control of the game coming out of halftime.
Julius Randle drove the engine with 28 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, Jaden McDaniels was ruthlessly efficient with 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting, and Donte DiVincenzo added 22 as Minnesota’s attack came in waves rather than isolations.
Edwards’ milestone didn’t hijack the game; it sat inside a team performance that looked like a group finding rhythm, spacing and force at the same time.
That, more than anything, is the Edwards story at this stage. The raw talent is obvious, but the real separator has been volume plus durability plus responsibility, scoring while carrying the nightly burden of a primary option, and doing it early enough in a career that the calendar itself becomes part of the résumé.
