Anthony Edwards has been one of the most talked about players in the NBA, especially since his return from the 2024 Olympics. The Timberwolves guard went viral over the past week for an absurd take, claiming players from the 1990s had no skill. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, two players who started their careers in the ’90s, seemed to have taken offense to this comment.
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Edwards didn’t mince his words when he boldly claimed that players, except Michael Jordan, from 30 years ago had no skill. The superstar, born in the early 2000s, stated that every player in the league is skillful now, and said this wasn’t the case in the ‘90s.
“I don’t think anybody had skill back then… But now everybody has skill,” Ant stated.
Anthony Edwards says that Michael Jordan was the only player with real skill back in the day
"I didn't watch it back in the day so I can't speak on it. 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… pic.twitter.com/fZ5GkqbxnZ
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 20, 2024
The Ant-Man hurt multiple 1990s players’ sentiments with this comment. Garnett was among the ones to voice out his opinions in retaliation. According to KG, who was drafted in 1995, players weren’t allowed to do the fancy moves that are often seen in today’s game.
“If I’m being honest, bro. I don’t think anybody in this generation could have played like 20 years ago. This is to Ant, this is to everybody in our league, Tatum, all y’all – let me tell y’all something bro 20 years ago bro you couldn’t get to a triple step-back,” KG said on his podcast.
The Big Ticket compared the physicality of the two eras, seeming confident when stating that only half of the players in today’s generation would be on an NBA team in the 1990s.
“Let’s not talk about the physicality of the game back then real sh*t because I only think half these kids in the league could have been on an NBA team 20 years ago. The locker room was too grown… too much of a of a fraternity,” he continued.
Over the past year, the Big Ticket has been extremely supportive of the 23-year-old. On numerous occasions, Garnett has compared Edwards to multiple versions of Michael Jordan. However, his bold take was too much for KG to take, and he had to voice his disagreement.
Pierce, who co-hosts KG’s podcast, revealed his opinion after hearing Anthony Edwards’ comment.
Pierce supports Garnett, shuts down Edwards’ claims
The Truth began by claiming that his former teammate was one of the most skilled players ever, instantly shutting down Edwards’ claims.
“This (Kevin Garnett) is one of the most skilled players that ever played the game,” Pierce began.
Comparing the eras, he believed that the likes of Baron Davis, Steve Francis, and Kevin Johnson were doing the same moves that “skillful” players from the current era, like Derrick Rose and Ja Morant.
Pierce did agree that the level of the skill has drastically gone up. However, that didn’t prevent him from stating that the players from the 1990s were better in terms of imagination, flair, and creativity.
“I will say this – the skill level has gotten better with this generation but I don’t think overall it makes you a better player. I think the imagination and the flair of the game is not the same… They workout individually, we played 5-on-5 and our creativity for the game was a lot better in our era,” he concluded.
KG and Pierce are two of Edwards’ biggest admirers. Their response reflected as much, where they respectfully showed how the guard was wrong in his way of thinking. However, it is only a matter of time till a player lashes out, and berates Edwards for his comments on ’90s basketball.
