Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards has developed a reputation for being frank and outspoken. However, one of his comments downplaying the ability of the greats of yesteryear irked Isiah Thomas, who called him out on it.
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During an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the Olympic gold medalist was asked for his take on the difference in basketball today and the generations before him. He responded that he hadn’t watched a lot of old-school basketball before making a surprising statement. Edwards said,
“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.”
The young guard’s astonishing comment irked Thomas. The Hall of Famer responded to the Timberwolves star’s take on X, writing,
“Propaganda works, so be careful what you choose to believe.”
Propaganda works, so be careful what you choose to believe. https://t.co/A2fJvxDlmd
— Isiah Thomas (@IsiahThomas) August 20, 2024
The Pistons icon’s response is apt. Michael Jordan was inarguably the best player of his generation. However, the league had a plethora of superstars before and during his time in the league.
When the guard was helping the Bulls ascend to contention in the 1980s, the Lakers with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the Celtics with Larry Bird were busy competing for titles and turning the NBA into a global phenomenon.
Before Jordan could get his hands on the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 1991, Thomas and the Pistons ousted him and the Bulls from the playoffs three straight times. Had the five-time MVP been the only skilled player in the NBA, he and his teammates would’ve had no problems dispatching the gritty Detroit roster.
Edwards’ comment about the Bulls icon being the only skilled player of his era is wildly off the mark. The six-time NBA champion himself claimed he was awestruck by Julius Erving and couldn’t cope with him on the court. In his book ‘For The Love of The Game,’ he wrote,
“When I came into the league, I wasn’t nearly as enamored with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird as I was with Julius Erving… I had a couple of good games against Philadelphia during my first season but I couldn’t do anything when I was matched up with Julius because I had so much admiration for him.”
Jordan and the Bulls’ dominance in the 1990s, the decade when the NBA became a worldwide sensation, has created a mirage that players who came before him or who played against him weren’t particularly skilled. However, as Thomas explained, that’s propaganda.
