Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson had a message for Anthony Edwards after the Minnesota Timberwolves star’s comments about players from past generations in the NBA not having a lot of skill.
Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live (starts at 4:55 mark), Johnson said you “might wanna talk trash when you won something” when asked about Edwards’ remarks.
Edwards, who admitted he didn’t pay close attention to basketball from before he was born, told Lane Florsheim of the Wall Street Journal that Michael Jordan was the only player “that really had skill” from past generations.
This isn’t the first time Johnson has addressed Edwards’ comments. His statement to Kimmel echoed what he said at a Yaamava Resort & Casino event in San Bernardino County last month.
Timberwolves legend Kevin Garnett said on the All The Smoke podcast (h/t Joe Nelson of SI.com) that Edwards’ statement “makes no sense” and he should know what he’s talking about before speaking on it.
“You gotta know what you’re talking about to be in the argument or be in the discussion of what we’re talking about,” Garnett said on All The Smoke. “I root for you, young fella, but know what you’re talking about, young fella, because [what] you said don’t make no sense.”
While it’s understandable players from the generation that Edwards was talking about would be defensive, his admission to not paying attention to the stars who came before him is really all they needed to know.
Of course Edwards is going to cite Jordan as the one player he really knows because the Chicago Bulls icon still hovers over everything in the NBA. It’s estimated that 10 percent of current players wear Jordan shoes during games.
Other than being inundated with Jordan content, why should Edwards, who was born in 2001, be expected to know everything he could about past NBA players? He could have taken a more tactful approach to what he said, but that’s never been his style anyway.
Edwards is a natural antagonist in ways that have served him well. He said he was the No. 1 option on Team USA this summer on a roster with LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.
Anyone who knows the history of the NBA thinks that Jordan was the only skilled player. Johnson helped redefine the point guard position during his storied career. He was rewarded for it with 12 All-Star selections, 10 All-NBA selections, five NBA titles, three MVP awards, and a spot in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
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