Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards is one of the most competitive young athletes in the league and it's no secret that he considers Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan his basketball idols. But in a chat with Interview Magazine, Edwards condemned Bryant and Jordan for their style of leadership during their time in the NBA.
Chris Tucker: "Do you like the way Kobe and Jordan went at their teammates? 'Y’all going to come up to my level right now.'”
Anthony Edwards: "I can agree to disagree, because in today’s game everybody’s different. You can’t talk to everybody the same. You got to talk to players differently. Certain players can take it. I talk to some of my teammates like,'“Hey, get your shit together.' But some players, you got to go talk to them on the side. You can’t really cuss them out in front of everybody."
Chris Tucker: "Yep."
Anthony Edwards: "You just got to know how to do it."
Chris Tucker: "That’s smart. Can’t cuss everybody. I got family and they be like, “Man, I knew you when you couldn’t tie your shoe.”
Anthony Edwards: "Exactly."
Anthony Edwards, 23, is a 2x All-Star coming off his best season yet with averages of 25.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game on 46.1% shooting. Fresh off a run to the West Finals, Edwards is on the verge of superstar status in the NBA but he still has to prove himself as a leader for the young Minnesota Timberwolves .
Leadership looks different in every situation and the leader of a team can often make or break their season. Today, the most often leadership style involves a more gentle approach that uses subtlety and a more personal touch to communicate with teammates.
This differs vastly from the styles favored by legends like Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan . Those stars ruled with an iron fist and they often used bullish means to inspire the best from their teammates. Michael was infamous for being just as tough to his teammates as he was to his opponents and Kobe Bryant was compared to an assassin in the court for the passion and emotion he played with.
Kobe's competitive spirit became famous in the community and his "Mamba mentality" is celebrated today by millions of fans. But what often gets lost on people is that the "tough love" approach comes with nasty side effects.
For Kobe, it pushed away his co-star Shaquille O'Neal and put an immense amount of pressure on his coaches and teammates. Bryant's persona on the court made him a lot of enemies in his day and pushed away some players who might have otherwise thrived in a different environment.
Michael Jordan led the same way and his former Bulls teammate Steve Kerr once said that it was "hard" sharing the court with the legend since he was constantly after them to live up to his standard of excellence.
While it's hard to argue with the results, Edwards believes that the best form of leadership involves a mix of styles. For Edwards, what works for one player may not work for another and he wants to be someone who speaks to all types of people.
This upcoming season, Edwards wants to be the star who galvanizes the troops and brings his team together for a championship run. More in line with LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, and other modern-day NBA stars, Ant wants to lead by example instead of fear and he intends to set a historic pace this season after leading the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals.
Related: Anthony Edwards Demands Paternity Test From Lil Baby’s Ex-Girlfriend Over Son
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