Magic Johnson takes aim at Anthony Edwards after Wolves star’s comments about previous NBA generations
NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson did not respond well Recent Comments Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards shared his thoughts about players from previous generations. During an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Edwards was asked how his generation compares to previous generations, to which he replied that “Michael Jordan was the only player who really had the skill.” As you can imagine this comment spread like wildfire on social media, leading many people to voice their opinions on Edwards’ opinion.
Lakers legend Johnson expressed his thoughts on the matter while speaking at an event in Los Angeles when media personality Stephen A. Smith brought up Edwards’ comments.
“I never answer to a guy who’s never won a championship,” Johnson said. “He hasn’t won a college championship, I don’t know if he’s even won a high school championship.”
Johnson’s comments drew a huge reaction from the crowd at the event, and you could tell that although he didn’t want to believe what Edwards said, he took exception to the quote. It’s true, Edwards hasn’t reached the top of the NBA yet, but he did lead the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals at just 23 years old.
With the majority of the team’s players returning this upcoming season, the Wolves should be in a prime position to get back there and even make it to the NBA Finals. Edwards has only scratched the surface of his potential so far, and he’ll only get better as he gains more experience in the league. And yes, Edwards didn’t win a championship in his only season at Georgia either, but his one season in college coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, resulting in the cancellation of March Madness that year, he never got the chance to try to win one.
And just for the record: Edwards Did Actually winning a state championship in high school (and winning a gold medal with Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics), but I doubt that means much to Johnson.
Edwards’ comments have clearly offended some people, with even Isiah Thomas saying on social media that, “Propaganda works, so be careful what you believe.” Did He admitted he can’t speak much about that era because he didn’t watch much basketball from that time. That’s understandable since he was born in 2001. This isn’t the first time he’s made comments about Hall of Fame players that have raised some eyebrows. When asked earlier this year if Jordan could guard him, Edwards responded with an emphatic “absolutely not.” Though he considers Jordan the greatest player of all time — as he said in the same interview — Edwards’ confidence is highest when comparing himself to other players from past generations.
It’s unclear if Edwards truly believes that players from the ’80s and ’90s actually lacked skill, or if he just meant it in comparison to today. Because when the two are compared, it can clearly be seen how basketball is played in the NBA, especially when it comes to athleticism and shooting ability. But if he truly believes that players from that era actually lacked skill in general, he’s completely wrong. As we’ve seen countless times with the NBA, cut out any quote and it will make the rounds on social media and will surely piss off players both past and present to some degree.
