GettyMinnesota Timberwolves rookie Anthony Edwards personally reached out to a young boy who tragically lost his family in a house fire ... inspiring the kid with a special message about hope.
12-year-old Taeden Johnson was wounded in the Jan. 27 blaze at the family's mobile home unit in Athens, Georgia. He raced to a neighbor's house at 3 AM to call 911, but emergency responders were unable to save his mom, 9-year-old sister and grandmother. The fire also destroyed all of Taeden's personal possessions.
Edwards -- the #1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft -- got wind of the story and immediately decided to help out.
Besides playing his college ball in Athens (at the University of Georgia), Edwards also lost both his mom and grandmother to cancer when he was just an 8th grader -- and he clearly felt a connection to Taeden.
So, he got the kid's phone number and hit him up on FaceTime on Monday so they could talk ... and according to Taeden's mentor Zac Hendrix, the conversation was incredible.
GoFundMe"He just said, ‘Hey, Taeden, look man, I lost my mother, I also lost my grandmother at a young age and look where I’m at now. Never give up," Hendrix told OnlineAthens.com.
Edwards also told Taeden ... "Always give 110% to where you eventually want to go. Just follow your dreams and nothing will stop you from doing that."
The NBA star then instructed the 12-year-old to save his phone number and welcomed him to "reach out any time."
On another positive note ... Taeden has a GoFundMe page that has already racked up more than $209,000 in donations. The proceeds will go toward his college education, clothes and other needs.
As for Edwards, he's off to a strong first season ... where he currently leads all NBA rookies with 13.6 points per game to go along with 3.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.
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