Adidas released a new Anthony Edwards commercial Thursday, the same day the Minnesota Timberwolves superstar underwent right knee surgery.

The ad’s premise was so closely tied to his injury that fans immediately questioned its timing.

NBA Fans Raise Eyebrows Over Anthony Edwards’ Adidas Commercial

An MRI on Tuesday showed knee damage that hadn’t appeared on earlier scans. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that “Ant-Man” would undergo an arthroscopic procedure and could miss up to two months.

In the latest Adidas ad, Edwards and his right-hand man, Nick Maddox, audition potential replacements who could secretly take his place on the court. The applicants try to show they can act, talk, and play like the Timberwolves shooting guard.

The ad plays off the NBA’s standard 65-game eligibility threshold for major regular-season awards, including MVP and All-NBA honors. Adidas Basketball posted the video two days after Charania’s report with the caption, “65 games one way or another. Believe That.”

Basketball analyst and podcaster Esfandiar Baraheni asked, “How do they do these so quickly?”

YouTuber HTB had a similar reaction: “How they do this so fast bro?”

Less than 40 minutes after Adidas posted the video on X, one fan predicted where the conversation was headed: “This will unleash so many conspiracy theories.”

Another joked about how quickly the campaign must have come together: “This was made within 48 hours…… Almost makes you think…… Nah, couldn’t be. Right?”

Sports writer Justin Tinsley offered another possibility: “If they had this sitting in the vault just in case, give them an Emmy. Or whatever the marketing equivalent is.”

One fan wondered whether Adidas already had the clip ready: “So did they have this loaded up or did they make it yday.”

The four-time All-Star appeared in a career-low 61 games last season. His right knee has bothered him since the spring, and he grabbed at it during Sunday’s win over the Toronto Raptors. He still played the following night against the Cleveland Cavaliers, scoring 47 points in an overtime loss.

Edwards’ manager, Justin Holland, addressed the potential loss of individual honors in comments to ESPN on Tuesday.

“It’s not about individual accolades, All-NBAs, or anything like that,” Holland said. “It’s a single focus: winning a championship.”

Minnesota later confirmed that its franchise cornerstone underwent a successful debridement procedure at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. The team expects him to recover fully but has not announced a timetable for his return.

If Edwards misses the expected two months, he would fall short of the 65-game threshold for MVP and All-NBA eligibility for a second straight season, costing him the chance to qualify for a projected four-year, $304 million supermax extension next summer.