Magic Johnson Didn't Hold Back While Burying Anthony Edwards For Suggesting Only Michael Jordan Had Any Skill Back In The Day
Matthew Stockman. Getty Images.Last week, Anthony Edwards made some headlines when he boldly declared that back in the day, Michael Jordan was the only player with any skill
"I didn't watch it back in the day so I can't speak on it. 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."
You have to love starting the quote by saying you didn't watch so you can't speak on it only to then immediately speak on it. Not only that, but your take is utterly ridiculous. I never really understood why we always see players from one era do nothing but try and shit on the players from a previous era. Old guys talk shit about how soft the new generation is, new generation players try and make it seem like anyone who came before them was ass. It's all very confusing. Whether it's JJ Redick claiming Jerry West didn't play anybody or in this case Ant trying to suggest anyone from the previous generation didn't have any skill unless your name was Michael Jordan.
As you can expect, the legends started to weigh in, and they don't seem too thrilled. First we had Isiah Thomas, arguably one of the greatest point guards and NBA players to ever live
and now we have Magic weighing in with a bit of a kill shot of his own towards Ant
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You may not like to hear it, but this is what being a champ (many times over) allows you to do. Everyone with a brain knows that guys back in the day had skill, especially Magic Johnson
and as much as I despise the Lakers and never ever want to give them any sort of credit, I have to say Magic had the kill shot there. Now, just like with Ant and his quote, Magic declaring he doesn't respond to anyone without a ring while very much responding to Anthony Edwards' comments as a player who does not possess a ring is a bit confusing, but it was a decent way to fight back. When you have as many rings as Magic does, the RINGZ card will always play especially when a guy who hasn't won anything yet at the NBA level is talking crazy like that.
There's no denying that Ant is one of the most electric players in the NBA
even though it was a little cringy how forced it became to make him "the face of the NBA" and how ESPN ran segment after segment effectively calling him Michael Jordan after anything he did on the court, which was asinine. He's not MJ. Nobody is MJ. But to me, this is all part of the fun with all these young guys who have tons of potential. At some point, it's time to deliver. Now entering Year 5, Ant is the main guy on a team many consider to be a contender. The Wolves were a team a lot of people picked to win the title last year after getting past the Nuggets and then to be in the mix again this year. I'm a firm believer that if you're going to talk all this shit, eventually, you have to come through and back it up. If Ant wants to be the face of the league and all that, well then winning matters. Not fading in WCFs matters. You only get so many cracks at the "he's young" excuse, so how that unfolds moving forward is going to be awesome to watch.
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I'd also say the same thing about everyone else in that age tier like SGA, Luka, Booker etc. Time to win fellas. There seems to be this desire to crown a lot of these next generation guys before they've actually achieved anything, and seeing as how Ant, Luka, SGA, Booker etc all play on contenders there should be no excuses at this point. Some guys (like Jayson Tatum) step up and win their title so they can join the elite club despite their young age so it's not like it isn't possible.
And hey, this is part of the Anthony Edwards package. He's going to talk shit. He's going to troll. He's going to do awesome shit on a basketball court. Just don't be shocked when the legends decide it's their turn to respond, and they drop a haymaker that ultimately you can't come back from.