Anthony Edwards shocked the NBA world with a controversial take on the level of talent in the league during Michael Jordan’s era. DeMar DeRozan became the latest NBA star to voice his opinions on Edwards’ claim. The Sacramento Kings star admitted that he admires the young and talented Timberwolves guard, but he also declared that he can’t get behind his comments.
Advertisement
Deebo claimed that he could never have issued such a statement as a youngster in the league. DeRozan understands the passion Ant has for the game and the confidence he has in himself.
But the 35-year-old also pointed out the necessity to respect the OGs of the game because they paved the way for the game’s evolution and growth.
DeRozan explained on Podcast P with Paul George why he wouldn’t have made such a remark,
“We never would’ve made no statement like that. Because regardless, at the end of the day, I respect every OG who ever played this game. This game was built on the foundation of taking steps of wherever it came from. And I never discredit wherever the league was at 20 years ago.”
DeRozan said he could name every championship team from the 80s and 90s before chiming in on Edwards’ statement. This indicated his love and admiration for the players he grew up watching.
It’s fair to assume that Edwards grew up watching the late 2000s and early 2010s era of basketball. Edwards’ favorite player growing up was Kevin Durant, who came into his prime during this past decade.
This reinforces the idea that Edwards did not grow up watching 90s basketball. Therefore, he doesn’t have a distinct idea about how the game has evolved and under what circumstances.
So for a current star to undermine a whole generation of legends without witnessing more than a handful of them is what rubs a lot of veteran players the wrong way.
As the conversation went further, DeRozan shared a few more names from the MJ era. He mentioned Hakeem Olajuwon as the most skilled big man in the 90s. Deebo even brought up Jordan’s Bulls teammate Scottie Pippen as another example.
However, DeRozan admitted that he wasn’t privy of the context in which Edwards stated that MJ’s era lacked skill since he only read the headlines. But still he thought that Ant should have been more careful before making a statement like that.
