{"id":617190,"date":"2026-05-01T12:14:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T12:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/617190\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T12:14:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T12:14:14","slug":"raven-johnson-and-anthony-edwards-bond-remains-strong-from-atlanta-to-beyond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/617190\/","title":{"rendered":"Raven Johnson and Anthony Edwards’ bond remains strong, from Atlanta to beyond"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first time Indiana Fever guard Raven Johnson<\/a> met Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards<\/a>, she was a self-described \u201cshy\u201d ninth-grader.<\/p>\n

Johnson had just begun working with touted Atlanta-area trainer Justin Holland, whose core player group included Edwards, then a high school junior who had trained with Holland<\/a> since he was 14.<\/p>\n

While Johnson was on the precipice of becoming a household name at Westlake High School<\/a>, Edwards had already established himself as a can\u2019t-miss prospect \u2014 especially in their hometown of Atlanta. He was a five-star recruit ranked as the<\/a> top shooting guard in the class of 2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was starstruck,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI remember watching him train \u2014 the stuff he was saying. I\u2019m like, \u2018Dang, he doesn\u2019t care what he says or how he says it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards\u2019 superstar turn \u2013 AndscapeRead now<\/a><\/p>\n

When Johnson first introduced herself to Edwards, though, her sense of awe was overshadowed by her playful and competitive nature.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said that I could beat him in a one-on-one matchup,\u201d Johnson recalled. <\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take long for the two basketball players to click. Holland said they meshed because their personalities were so similar, describing them as authentically unfiltered, humorous and an embodiment of Atlanta culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe came into the gym with that exact same energy as me,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cFor real, she was like a younger version of myself out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TrainerJustin Holland (left) trained Raven Johnson (center) and Anthony Edwards at least six days a week while the duo was in high school in Atlanta.<\/p>\n

Justin Holland<\/p>\n

Since training together in Atlanta as kids, Johnson and Edwards have gone on to collect some of the highest accolades their sports have to offer \u2014 from All-America selections and national championships to All-NBA honors and an Olympic gold medal.<\/p>\n

As they have climbed their respective levels of competition, the duo has maintained a tight bond while supporting each other\u2019s journeys that now sees them as pro athletes \u2014 Edwards, a 24-year-old perennial NBA All-Star currently in the playoffs<\/a> with the Timberwolves, and Johnson readying for her rookie debut in the WNBA with the Fever.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like a surreal moment just to see both of us living our dreams,\u201d said Johnson, who turned 23 last month. <\/p>\n

Adversity and winning have bonded South Carolina’s Dawn Staley and Raven Johnson \u2013 AndscapeRead now<\/a><\/p>\n

Early in their training, Edwards became an aspirational figure for Johnson. The 5-foot-8 point guard aimed to adopt the same habits and work ethic as Edwards, with the goal of following in his footsteps and becoming a high-level recruit on the national level. <\/p>\n

Under Holland, Johnson and Edwards practiced at least six days a week, spending many late nights in the gym sharpening their craft. The duo\u2019s bond grew.<\/p>\n

\u201cNext thing I know, she\u2019s calling him [son], and he\u2019s calling her his daughter,\u201d Holland said. \u201cSo that\u2019s kind of, like, the relationship that they\u2019ve taken.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

When Edwards was selected as the No. 1 pick<\/a> in the 2020 NBA draft \u2014 which was held virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic \u2014 Johnson was at his Atlanta draft party. By that time, Johnson had already won multiple state titles and had been named<\/a> 2020 Miss Georgia Basketball. Seeing Edwards reach the pro level motivated Johnson to double down on her own dream.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought, like, I was experiencing everything. In my mind, I\u2019m like, \u2018This is going to be me one day at a draft,\u2019\u201d said Johnson, who committed<\/a> to South Carolina a few months later and ended her high school career as the top point guard<\/a> in her class. Edwards was featured in one of her commitment videos.<\/p>\n

Even after he left Atlanta, first to star at Georgia and then in the NBA, Edwards and Johnson continued to show up for each other. Edwards would support Johnson and Holland at AAU tournaments. Johnson has caught some Timberwolves games in Minnesota.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the summers, when [Edwards] would come home, he would always kind of hang out with her, give her pointers,\u201d Holland said. <\/p>\n

\""It\u201cIt seems crazy to look at how far we\u2019ve come, but at the same time, it\u2019s really not,\u201d said Edwards (left), shown with Johnson in 2022.<\/p>\n

Justin Holland<\/p>\n

Following the Gamecocks\u2019 painful loss to Iowa in the Final Four in 2023 \u2014 a game that included the now-infamous moment when Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark notably waved off<\/a> Johnson as a way to dismiss her shooting ability \u2014 Edwards sent his friend a message of encouragement.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t let this bring you down. You know who you are \u2026 so you can\u2019t let this situation change you,\u201d Edwards told Johnson, as she detailed for<\/a> The Players\u2019 Tribune in 2024. \u201cYou need to get in the gym and work on your weakness. \u2026 Nothing\u2019s going to be handed to you. You just need to get in the gym and do what others don\u2019t do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edwards reaching out to Johnson in a time of need, even as he was closing out his own NBA season, meant a lot to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat just tells me he\u2019s watching and he\u2019s paying attention to the little details,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cHe cares.\u201d<\/p>\n

Holland said Johnson being able to turn to Edwards, and vice versa, to connect on an athletic level and within a familial circle has been one of the most important factors in their success.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m probably more of a father figure to Raven than anything. So she\u2019ll confide in Ant about things that she won\u2019t confide in me. So, I know, from athlete to athlete, that perspective and that adversity \u2014 they\u2019ve all had to deal with it,\u201d said Holland, who with Edwards in 2020 co-founded AE Five Enterprises<\/a>, a company that serves as a hub for Edwards\u2019 business, brand and charity efforts. \u201cSo, you know, just giving her those nuggets that he also had to go through at one point of his career that only a player that\u2019s going through it can actually touch on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edwards gave Johnson advice throughout her draft process, from the details of moving to a new city to the realities of being a rookie starting from square one.<\/p>\n

Edwards told Johnson to be grateful for any situation and not to take the moment for granted, as she had worked hard to make it to the draft.<\/p>\n

\"RavenJohnson received a call from Edwards after she was drafted by the Indiana Fever on April 13. <\/p>\n

David Dow \/ NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

After Johnson was taken<\/a> No. 10 overall by the Fever, Edwards called her.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I can\u2019t say what we really talked about,\u201d Johnson joked. \u201cHe told me just, \u2018You work for things like this and you\u2019re living out your dream.\u2019 He told me that he\u2019s really proud of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Holland said Edwards was beaming with pride as he watched Johnson walk onstage and receive her jersey from WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a big moment for us all,\u201d Holland said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During the Fever\u2019s media day last week, Johnson posed for a photo<\/a> that encapsulated the journeys of both Edwards and hers. She sat on a stool, now a WNBA player, wearing a No. 3 Indiana jersey. On her feet were a pair of blue Adidas AE 2s, Edwards\u2019 signature shoe. Johnson announced her signing with the shoe brand<\/a> in April.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems crazy to look at how far we\u2019ve come, but at the same time, it\u2019s really not,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cMe, Raven, and Justin all believed that if we just put the work in, we could make some major things happen. Actually seeing us do some of these things we talked about, both on the court and in business, is pretty special.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"RavenJohnson poses for a portrait during the Indiana Fever\u2019s media day on April 22. She\u2019s wearing Adidas AE 2s, Edwards\u2019 signature shoe. <\/p>\n

A.J. Mast<\/p>\n

The emotional moments Edwards and Johnson share are balanced by a dose of humor and lightheartedness.<\/p>\n

When asked what Edwards may have learned from her over the nearly 10 years they\u2019ve known each other, the same spirit that sparked Johnson\u2019s one-on-one challenge at their first meeting once again shined through, as she jumped at the opportunity to take a lighthearted jab at her friend.<\/p>\n

\u201cI taught him everything he knows,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cHis basketball skills, his drip. We\u2019rel still working on the drip, though. He\u2019s not all the way there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson was filled pride, though, as she reflected on how far she and Edwards have come.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started from the bottom of the bottom,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cJust to see each other\u2019s journeys and push each other through, you know, the hard times and the good times \u2014 it means a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sean Hurd is a senior writer for Andscape who primarily covers women\u2019s basketball. His athletic peak came at the age of 10 when he was named camper of the week at a Josh Childress basketball camp.<\/p>\n

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