Magic Johnson brutally trolls Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards after he insisted NBA players previously lacked ‘skill’

NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson only has time for fellow champions.

In a recent interview with ESPN star Stephen A. Smith , five-time NBA champion Johnson responded to a controversial claim made recently by All-Star Anthony Edwards .

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The Minnesota Timberwolves star, 23, claimed in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that, unlike today, NBA stars of the 1980s and 90s lacked skill.

“I didn’t watch it back in the day so I can’t speak on it,” he said.

“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.”

These comments were brought up by Smith when interviewing Los Angeles Lakers legend Johnson at a resort and casino in San Manuel.

Johnson calmly said that he never responds to someone “that’s never won a championship” – to the delight of the crowd.

“There’s nothing to really say. He didn’t win a college championship, I don’t even know if he even won a high school championship.”

Johnson’s brutal response caught the eyes of plenty of NBA fans on X , who were quick to weigh in with their response.

“Larry Bird had no skill? Dr J (Julius Erving) had no skill? Magic, Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar], [James] Worthy, Isaiah [Thomas]? Where does a comment like that even come from?” one fan asked.

“Magic just absolutely leveling Ant here,” said a second.

“This new generation is far too comfortable dissing legends. Used to have to win something before you could talk about legends,” added another.

While a fourth replied, “I’m not my opinion….a lot of the players nowadays wouldn’t be able to play in those eras. Just a tougher time.

“Of course, there are a few exceptions. They have a lot of talent nowadays and the league play compliments that.

“Different era. Different way of playing.”

Edwards may not yet have an NBA title to his name, but he did recently win gold at the Paris Olympics with Team USA.

This past season, he also starred for the Timberwolves as they won their first playoff series in 20 years.

They wound up reaching the Conference Finals where they were ultimately toppled by the Dallas Mavericks 4-1.

Currently enjoying their summer break, Edwards and Co. will be back on the court for a regular season game on October 22 when they take on Johnson’s Lakers.

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