Isiah Thomas Calls Out Anthony Edwards’ Disrespectful ‘Only Michael Jordan Had Skill’ Take

Anthony Edwards made headlines last week after claiming the ’90s didn’t have skilled basketball players, and Michael Jordan was the only exception. He received a lot of pushback from notable athletes like Isiah Thomas. Analyst Jason Whitlock is the latest one to call the Timberwolves’ guard out.

The analyst, on his X account, posted a video where he discussed Edwards’ take. He indicated that his statement was a joke because when he thought of Thomas and the others from the era that Edwards called unskilled, he couldn’t believe it for a second.

The Pistons legend concurred, taking to X to quote Whitlock’s post. He said that the only skill that players from the ’90s couldn’t match was 3-point shooting, and it was the absence of outside shooting that caused people to think the ’90s didn’t have skilled players.

“The only skill “emphasized” more is the 3 point shot, creating the illusion that athletes and skills have magically evolved into another athletic species.”

Thomas played in the ’80s and early ’90s and dominated, winning back-to-back titles. While it’s easy to claim he’s biased towards his era of players, he does make some valid points. There was a litany of superstars scattered across the NBA in the 90s with various skills that hold up incredibly well to this day.

Whether it’s Clyde Drexler and Shawn Kemp’s otherworldly athleticism, Mark Price and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf’s shooting, or Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O’Neal’s impeccable post-work, the 90s were filled with talent.

With social media becoming essential for sporting discussions, fans get away with claiming a lot of opinions about the ’80s and ’90s that are far from the truth. Thomas has almost made it his duty to remind people every once in a while that his era wasn’t lacking in talent.

The main difference in play styles between Thomas’ days and now is the reliance on the 3-point shot. With big men being more focused on being floor stretchers, the 2x FMVP has gone as far as to say that modern bigs lack the post moves that Olajuwon and Shaq made popular in the ’90s.

Thomas calls modern post players “less skilled”

Big men such as Al Jefferson have seemingly become a lost asset in today’s NBA. Only being overtly dominant inside with a decent shot and impeccable passing skills such as Joel Embiid and, of course, Nikola Jokić, has led to the big-man resurgence.

There is, however, the other side of the conversation where no players in Thomas’s era dribbled the ball the way Kyrie Irving does. No player ever shot the ball the way Damian Lillard or Stephen Curry can. Dunk packages have evolved beyond measure and Swiss Army knives like LeBron James were unheard of.

Thomas defending his era makes sense as Edwards’ take was much too stark. However, acknowledging that the game has moved on and gotten more skilled is something most fans and analysts have rightfully done.