Anthony Edwards’ comparisons with Michael Jordan, that have been going on since last year’s FIBA World Cup, intensified in this year’s postseason. Many prominent voices like Patrick Beverley rode strongly on the waves of the comparisons following the Minnesota Timberwolves’ success in the playoffs. However, after the Timberwolves suffered a 1-4 beatdown in the Western Conference Finals, many started to question if the comparisons with the Bulls legend were really warranted.
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However, Pat Bev is still on the Ant-man MJ hype train. The 35-year-old displayed his love for the T-wolves superstar during a recent appearance on Gil’s Arena. After host Josiah Johnson brought up his earlier comments about Edwards being the second coming of Jordan, Pat Bev reiterated that ANT’s personality and skillset are reminiscent of what Jordan brought to the table.
Beverley revealed that, during their first meeting, he motivated Edwards to chase the ghost of Chicago and surpass him to build an NBA legacy that rings loud, beyond the financial gains and inflated stat sheets.
“I said ‘You could be two people in this league, you can be this guy right here, make a whole bunch of money, never win no championship, made a whole bunch of money, you know $300-400 million, bunch of points. Or you got a chance to be Michael Jordan,’” Beverley recalled his words to Ant.
Meanwhile, co-host Kenyon Martin was not okay with the constant need to compare Edwards to MJ and argued that there’s no need to always bring up Jordan in the conversation. Beverley countered this idea by saying that when someone embarks on a new venture, they aspire to be the best and not just anyone in between.
“When I started my podcast, I wanted to be fu**ing Joe Rogan. I didn’t want to be Draymond Green or Paul George, I wanted to be the best,” Beverley said to Kenyon Martin.
Martin didn’t deter from his stance even after listening to Pat Bev’s position, which resulted in a long debate. While Kenyon Martin has had enough of ANT-MJ comparisons, many others are convinced of the similarities between the two.
Many NBA legends agree that Anthony Edwards is the second coming of Michael Jordan
Initially, the comparisons started as a trend among NBA fans. But they concretized during the 2023 offseason, when Edwards spearheaded the Team USA attack in the FIBA World Cup. His incredible turn-around jumpers from the baseline and step-through moves reminded fans of Jordan’s heroics.
The narrative then carried over to the 2023-24 Regular Season and took flight during the 2024 playoffs, especially after a high-scoring ANT talked a bunch of trash to Kevin Durant and let him know that he was old.
Kevin Garnett likened Ant-Man to a 1984-1985 ROTY edition of MJ. It made sense because the Bulls legend was also 22 when he won the ROTY. Edwards also relished this comparison and has not run away from the lofty ideals that come with MJ comparisons. Thus, this narrative has a lot of staying power and Edwards’ progress suggests that he will keep the embers alive.
