“Are We Forgetting The Dude With The Statue?”: Mark Jackson On Kobe Bryant Amidst Michael Jordan-Anthony Edwards Comparisons

For more than a year, Anthony Edwards has been receiving comparisons to Michael Jordan. While some personalities from the basketball world such as Kevin Garnett and Shaquille O’Neal do agree with the same, Mark Jackson doesn’t. On a recent episode of The Mark Jackson Show, Jackson spoke about these comparisons and believed that Kobe Bryant had a more uncanny resemblance to Jordan than Edwards.

Mark Jackson began the conversation with his son, Bluu, by revealing that he was in awe of Anthony Edwards’ production as of late. However, he went on to express his dissatisfaction with analysts and enthusiasts comparing the Minnesota Timberwolves guard to Michael Jordan. Taking away no credit from Edwards, the former Golden State Warriors coach reminded how Kobe Bryant’s style of play had an even more uncanny resemblance to MJ.

“I was reading recently what Michael Jordan said that he sees some similarities in their style of play and the way they went about it. I was listening to radio on the way and they were saying ‘Michael Jordan’s saying that he’s the closest thing to him’. Are we forgetting the dude with the statue across the street. Let’s not go there. Let’s acknowledge Anthony Edwards but let’s not forget,” Mark Jackson said.

Immediately after, Mark went on to laud Ant-Man for his recent performance. Apart from calling him “a special athlete”, the former 17-year NBA veteran spoke about the competitiveness of Edwards that he noticed while filming the movie “Hustle”.

“Anthony Edwards is a special athlete, special talent… the one thing I love about him, he loves to compete, he loves the game of basketball. There’s a basketball on the court… he’s going taking the basketball, getting shots up and challenging people,” Mark said.

Bluu was of a different opinion as compared to his father in that he agreed with the Jordan-Edwards comparisons. Further, he also drew comparisons to Dwyane Wade and James Harden, praising the combo guard for his incredible two-way capabilities.

“Man, that dude got game. I’m kind of with Jordan… This is Jordan-esque, D-Wade-esque, James Harden in Houston. This is a unstoppable offensive force. And even on the defensive end, the energy that he brings to his team is contagious,” Bluu said.

While Mark is not incorrect about Kobe being closer to Jordan, it is difficult to look past the eerie similarities that Ant and Mike share. That said, it is a bit difficult to completely disagree with Mark Jackson. After all, Kobe Bryant is not a name that fans should forget, especially at this early stage of Edwards’ career. So, perhaps it would be best advised for fans to wait just a little bit longer before they crown the Wolves star the closest thing to Michael Jordan since the man himself.

Several analysts have been comparing Anthony Edwards to Michael Jordan

The Anthony Edwards-Michael Jordan comparisons began around the time the 2023 FIBA World Cup commenced. Not just their similar styles of play, but fans were also sharing side-by-side photos of both superstars, displaying how their facial structure seemed identical.

Shaquille O’Neal chimed in on the narrative and also compared Anthony Edwards to Michael Jordan. Posting on his Instagram Stories, O’Neal admitted that the youngster was the MJ of the current era.

Kevin Garnett has also compared Edwards to His Airness on more than one occasion. Initially, Garnett spoke about the Wolves’ leader being like a rookie version of Air Jordan.

However, after Edwards’ 44-point performance in a 113-111 win over the Indiana Pacers, KG took to X (formerly “Twitter”) and revealed that the 22-year-old played like a prime, 1988 version of Michael Jordan.

To his credit, Ant does deserve all the praise that he’s been receiving this season. With Karl-Anthony Towns out with a major injury, Edwards has been averaging 26.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game, per NBA.com, while leading the Minnesota side to the #1 spot in the stacked Western Conference.