Julius Erving ‘Vows’ Anthony Edwards Would Change His Opinions On Past Legends If He Played Against Them

Anthony Edwards has been relentlessly receiving backlash for his comments about the skill level of the players in the 1980s and 1990s. The guard’s take that Michael Jordan was the only talented player in that era wasn’t well-received, and the game’s legends have been calling him out on it. Julius Erving became the latest icon to critique him, saying he’d change his view if he played against the best from that era.

During an appearance on the Come Talk 2 Me episode, host Mark Jackson asked the Hall of Famer for his take on Edwards’ opinion about the skill level of the players in the 20th century. Dr. J named a slew of his favorite players from that era before flaming the Timberwolves star. He said,

“Oh, c’mon man. Wilt, Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson, and Elgin Baylor, who was my favorite. My personal favorite was Elgin Baylor and Jerry West. If you just take those five right there. You put Anthony Edwards on the court with them or whatever. He would change his opinion.”

Erving alluded that the young guard hadn’t done his homework and hadn’t watched the players he was talking about. He suggested that Edwards wasn’t well-informed about the game’s history, saying,

“Obviously he’s a guy who didn’t see the 60s and the 70s. He just heard about it. He didn’t see the 80s.”

While Erving held back his punches in his criticism of Edwards’ comments, Magic Johnson was significantly less forgiving.

Magic Johnson asks Anthony Edwards to learn about the game’s history

The five-time NBA champion was first asked about the Timberwolves star’s comments during an appearance on The Stephen A. Smith Show. He barely addressed Edwards’ take and instead questioned his stature, responding that he wasn’t interested in listening to the opinion of players who hadn’t won anything. 

During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the host also probed him about the young guard’s opinion. The Hall of Famer was less dismissive this time and asked Edwards to learn about the game’s greats from his family’s patriarchs. He said,

“I think he should have asked somebody, maybe his father or his grandfather about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dr. J, Isiah Thomas, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Clyde Drexler, Dominique Wilkins, we had some of the most dominant players that have ever played.”

Edwards has yet to respond to the barrage of criticism he has been subjected to over the past five weeks. He’ll likely break his silence on the subject during the Timberwolves’ Media Day on Monday.