NBA players who made their names known in the league throughout the 1980s and 1990s haven't reacted kindly to Anthony Edwards' recent comments.
At 23, Edwards was recently questioned on how his generation's basketball stacks up against older ones, especially the 1990s. Though he first stated he couldn't comment on the past era, Edwards eventually did not hesitate to share his views.
“I didn’t watch it back in the day, so I can’t speak on it,” Edwards said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. “They say it was tougher back then than it is now, but I don’t think anybody had skill back then. (Michael Jordan) was the only one that really had skill, you know what I mean? So that’s why when they saw Kobe (Bryant), they were like, ‘Oh, my God.’ But now everybody has skill.”
He has since received criticism for these comments, specifically from players who played in those eras. Most notable was Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas, who won two championships with the team in 1989 and 1990.
"Propaganda works, so be careful what you choose to believe," Thomas said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Magic Johnson ended up being the next player to respond to Edwards. He spoke at a live event on Sunday, strongly disagreeing with the idea of Edwards devaluing the talent the league had at the time.
"I never respond to a guy who's never won a championship... He didn't win a college championship, I don't even know if he won a high school championship."
Quite a bold response for Johnson to make, although he would be mostly correct. Johnson won an NCAA championship with Michigan State and five NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers.
On the other hand, Edwards did win a state championship in high school with Holy Spirit Preparatory in the Georgia Independent School Association Class AAA state championship. In college, he only played one year for a Georgia Bulldogs team that went 16-16 (5-13 SEC) before he declared for the NBA Draft in 2020, obviously limiting his ability to win titles at the college level.
And while he has yet to win an NBA title, he still has plenty of time as he's entering his fifth year in the league. Not only that, but he also clinched gold in the Paris Olympics with the Team USA Basketball team as he played a significant role, showing his high potential for superstardom.
Nonetheless, there will be a lot for Edwards to prove as he looks to get the Minnesota Timberwolves back to the Western Conference Finals and, hopefully, make their first NBA Finals appearance heading into the 2024-25 season.
Related: Anthony Edwards Receives Unexpected Invite From Star Boxer
Most Popular
Comments / 0