Edwards 'felt bad' knocking favorite player Durant out of playoffs

Anthony Edwards fully burst onto the NBA scene while leading his Minnesota Timberwolves to the Western Conference final last season, but he had to take down a childhood idol to get there.

Speaking on a panel at Fanatics Fest with former pro Jalen Rose and Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant, Edwards showed remorse about beating the latter, one of the game's greatest scorers.

"I'm not going to lie, I felt bad a little bit," Edwards said, according to reporter Aliyah Funschelle. "Only because he's my favorite player of all time, I didn't want to send him home like that."

Edwards' Timberwolves swept Durant's Suns in the first round of the playoffs. The 23-year-old caught fire in the matchup, scoring a series-high 31 points per game. Durant averaged 26.8.

Though beating his favorite player may have been bittersweet, it fueled Edwards to another strong series as Minnesota upset the reigning champion Denver Nuggets before falling just short of the NBA Finals with a series loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Edwards and Durant reconciled with a gold medal this summer, as both were lead options for Team USA's bench unit, each averaging over 12 points per game.