Anthony Edwards recently triggered a firestorm by claiming that Michael Jordan was the only skilled player in the 1990s. His comments drew sharp rebuke from Magic Johnson, who dominated the league in the 1980s. During a conversation with Stephen A. Smith in Las Vegas, the 5x NBA champ dismissed Ant-Man’s remarks simply because the latter doesn’t have a single Championship under his belt.
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So Magic doesn’t believe that Edwards has enough credibility to make such grandiose claims.
On his eponymous pod, Stephen A. Smith gave his two cents on the issue. While calling out Edwards for his lack of knowledge about NBA history, the ESPN analyst also found fault with Magic Johnson’s reasoning.
SAS admitted that he is a huge fan of ANT, but claimed that his take on past eras displays his immaturity. He educated Edwards about the skilled players from both the 1980s and 1990s. From guards like Isiah Thomas to big men like Hakeem Olajuwon, the veteran analyst namedropped the greats from both eras.
Later, he told Edwards that the Timberwolves star should solely focus on bringing home his franchise’s maiden championship before attempting to take part in these conversations. Otherwise, he’ll never garner respect with his remarks.
Therefore, an NBA title would be the pathway for him to prove that he has the qualifications to comment on NBA history. Stephen A. said,
“If you’re Anthony Edwards, here is what you need to do. You need to prioritize winning a chip so you can have a conversation like that with Magic Johnson. Because Magic Johnson say he ain’t listen to you, he doesn’t have to pay attention. He is imploring the audience out there not to pay attention because the brother don’t have no chips.”
But then the ESPN analyst also found a loophole with Johnson’s logic. As per SAS, if an NBA title is the only way to get a seat at the table with the greats, then 3x champ Luc Longley, who was a role player for the Chicago Bulls, has a better chance than a Hall-of-Famer like Charles Barkley.
He then named players who would be barred from having a conversation with Magic Johnson, as per his strict criteria.
“Charles Barkley wouldn’t be allowed to talk about guys like Magic Johnson, according to Magic Johnson’s rules. Patrick Ewing, Reggie Miller, Chris Mullin, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Kevin Johnson… Mitch Richmond, you know Run TMC, Tim Hardaway, I’m just saying,” Stephen A. added.
Thus, Smith shed light on both sides of the argument. At any rate, Edwards did showcase shocking ignorance about past eras. The 90s had lots of skilled players apart from MJ.
And the 1992 Dream Team’s heroics made basketball the global sport it is today.
