Netflix’s new docuseries Starting 5 suggests that the new face of the NBA has arrived. Starting 5 offers an extensive deep dive into the 2023-24 NBA season through the exclusive lenses of five elite players. Directed by Peter J. Scalettar (Supreme Team) and produced by Peyton Manning (Quarterback) and Barack and Michelle Obama (Leave the World Behind), Starting 5 takes a behind-the-scenes look at the off-the-court lives of five of the NBA’s biggest stars. Starting 5 follows Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings, Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat, Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Starting 5 also includes never-before-seen footage of these five NBA talents during the regular season and playoffs, including previously unreleased audio and in-game commentary between players, coaches, and other NBA personnel. The biggest reveals in Starting 5 piece together some of the common themes between these five NBA superstars, such as their personal battles with injury, legacy, and fame, as well as their roles as fathers, partners, and public figures. Starting 5 has a great soundtrack and releases just one day after the start of the 2024-2025 NBA Preseason, chronicling the entire 2023-2024 season up to the Boston Celtics’ NBA Finals victory in June 2024.
Starting 5 showcases how Anthony Edwards has quickly become one of the most exciting players to watch in the NBA. At just 23 years old, Edwards has already drawn early comparisons to NBA legend Michael Jordan for his incredible athleticism and competitive nature. Edwards helped lead the Minnesota Timberwolves, who drafted him with the number 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, to the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks in 2024. He has also led the Timberwolves to the playoffs in the last three seasons. Edwards is already a 2-time All-Star and is expected to only get better throughout the 2020s.
NBA Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett gave a special shoutout to Anthony Edwards at the end of the Netflix docuseries, saying that he could very well become the new face of the NBA once LeBron James inevitably retires. Edwards signed a 5-year, $245 million contract extension with the Timberwolves in July 2023, earning him an average annual salary of $49 million and making him one of the highest-paid athletes in the NBA. He led the Timberwolves to an improbable Western Conference Finals run, defeating Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets in an instant classic Game 7 during the second round only to fall short to Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić of the Dallas Mavericks.
