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Ahead of arguably the most anticipated season in Minnesota Timberwolves’ history and in the midst of a 5-1 start for the Minnesota Vikings, Anthony Edwards and Justin Jefferson got together to recreate the famous photo featuring Kevin Garnett and Randy Moss.
The Edwards-Jefferson image featuring Minnesota’s superstar athletes wearing each other’s jersey was released on Tuesday as part of an ESPN cover story from Jamal Collier.
The original version featuring Moss and Garnett was photographed for Sport magazine in 2000.
There has been a clamoring from Minnesota fans for a long time to recreate the Garnett-Moss image. Paul Shea of 98.1 Minnesota’s New Country wrote about it in August 2023:
“It’s not often that Minnesota sports teams can boast some of the most talented athletes in their respective sports, but right now the Minnesota Vikings and the Minnesota Timberwolves have some top-tier talent, and it’s high time an iconic Minnesota sports photo should be recreated. The photo that needs to be recreated was the 2000 Sport Magazine photo that had Randy Moss in a Timberwolves jersey and Kevin Garnett in a Vikings jersey.“
The original picture was released at a time of extreme optimism in Minnesota for both the Vikings and Timberwolves.
The Vikings were coming off four consecutive playoff appearances going into the 2000 season. They had the most exciting offense in the NFL because Moss was virtually uncoverable to the point that Jeff George, 10 years into his career, led the league in yards per completion (14.7) in 1999.
Garnett led the Timberwolves to the franchise’s first 50-win season in 1999-2000 and he finished second in MVP voting to Shaquille O’Neal.
Edwards is coming off a season in which he led the T-Wolves to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2003-04. He finished seventh in MVP voting and has established himself as the face of the Timberwolves franchise.
Jefferson, who became the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history during the offseason, set a league record for most receiving yards by a player through his first four seasons (5,899).
The Vikings have been one of the pleasant surprises in the NFL so far this season. Their 5-1 record is tied with the Detroit Lions for the best mark in the NFC.
Edwards and Jefferson have a chance to do the one thing that Garnett and Moss were unable to do when they played in Minnesota: Win a championship.
The Vikings reached the NFC Championship Game twice during Moss’ eight seasons with the club, but they lost both times. The Timberwolves lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in their only appearance in the Western Conference Finals with Garnett during the 2003-04 campaign.
Edwards and the Timberwolves tipoff the 2024-25 NBA season on Tuesday against the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Jefferson and the Vikings will be in Los Angeles this week to play the Rams at SoFi Stadium on Thursday night
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