Magic Johnson spoke out once before when Anthony Edwards tried to downplay the skill level of pre-2000s NBA basketball. But this week, during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Johnson once again went on the record to put Edwards in his place.
“You might want to talk trash when you’ve won something. You know, if this came from some of the guys who just won on the Celtic team, OK, you might want to look at it,” said Johnson. “But you haven’t won anything. If I’m Anthony Edwards, I’m concerned about the Dallas Mavericks, about OKC, about Boston, about all these great teams. Concentrate, because you got beat by the Mavericks. You didn’t make it to the championship. So I’m concentrating on that instead of what happened in a time you wasn’t born.”
Anthony Edwards is on the track to NBA superstardom and he impressed a lot of fans last year with averages of 22.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game on 44.6% shooting. But after making a claim that Michael Jordan was the only “skilled player” in the 80s and 90s, Edwards found himself under scrutiny by experts, fans, and former players alike.
In the hours and days since he made the comment, several prominent NBA voices spoke out against his statement, including Isiah Thomas, Ron Harper, Paul George, and Dominique Wilkins.
Out of everyone to speak up, Magic Johnson has been the most passionate so far. His latest words mark the second occasion he’s spoken publicly against Edwards and the first time went viral after Johnson called on Edwards to win a title before challenging the legacy of basketball legends.
While there may be some truth to the idea that the NBA has gotten richer with talent over time, it doesn’t mean we need to discredit those who paved the way for the modern game. Contrary to Edwards’ beliefs, the NBA had plenty of skilled and talented players in the 1900s besides Michael Jordan.
There was Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, and countless others. While the sport has changed and evolved greatly over the past 20 years, nothing can take away what the greatest were able to accomplish in their time.
So for those stars to be discredited by a 23-year-old with no accolades was something that was never going to stand. With just four years of NBA experience and nothing to show for it, Edwards spoke prematurely about the prior generations and now the pressure is on for him to show his worth.
After averaging 25.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game last season, while leading the Timberwolves to the West Finals, the spotlight will be on Ant to outdo himself and raise his game to another level in the 2024-25 campaign.
Only by winning a title will Edwards earn the respect of the OGs but he’s facing an uphill climb. Even with Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert at his side, the odds are stacked against Edwards to break new ground and beat out the steep competition in the West.
It could be years before we see a breakthrough for the Timberwolves but after making such bold statements, the expectations are high for Edwards and all eyes will be on him to carry the Timberwolves to the depths of the postseason. Until then, Magic Johnson isn’t going to put much stock into a word that he says.
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