“The Work Builds Up That Confidence”: Kevin Garnett Compares Anthony Edwards’ Swagger to Michael Jordan and Gary Payton

Anthony Edwards is a modern player who carries the swagger of the 1990s NBA. He is physical up and down the court. He can shoot the three as well as anyone in the modern era, but he targets the opposition like a demon from that era when basketball was a little bit more aggressive.

It is more-or-less accepted that the 24-year-old phenom could have survived alongside Michael Jordan, and Kevin Garnett, for one, sees similarities between the two. In fact, Ant has even been compared to His Airness several times in the past. And the parallels were drawn not just with how he plays the game, but also how he commands his presence on the hardwood.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have gone further with Edwards the last two seasons than they had dating back to the Garnett days. He’s building a culture in Minnesota that is unmatched. That’s the reason Ant is drawing such praise from old b-ball heads.

Garnett loves Edwards and also sees shades of Gary Payton in him. The Big Ticket was asked about Edwards during a recent interview, and KG didn’t try to hide the fact that he thinks the world of Edwards.

In fact, Garnett knows it would have been great to have Edwards as a teammate back in his day. “I like young fella. Young fella is a throwback,” began KG.

“Young fella could have played in our time. Just because you have to be that type of dude. [As a] matter of fact, Anthony Edwards reminds me of a lot of the guys…Gary Payton. AI. Steph. Name somebody. Everybody who you would name has an attitude like that. GP! Jordan,” he added.

That’s the thing about Garnett. He wouldn’t lie about a player having attitude. He and Paul Pierce are so quick to mention how soft this current era of play style is. That’s what makes Ant stand out so much more. He’s a beacon that is connecting the old guard to the new wave of NBA superstars. He also took the time to reiterate how much of a killer Jordan was on the court.

“Everybody thinks Jordan [is] this cool a** millionaire. Aight. He got that too,” joked Garnett, who added moments later the amount of hard work MJ and players like Edwards have to put in to gain that type of confidence.

“You [have] got to have an unbelievable confidence in what you’re doing. And I really feel like the work builds up that confidence,” added Garnett, who himself worked harder than anyone during his career.

KG carried the Wolves on his back from 1997 to 2005, and while he never got it done in Minnesota, his hard work was rewarded with a ring in 2009 with the Celtics. That could be the destined path for Ant.

Maybe not with Boston, but if he doesn’t get it done for the Wolves, walking in the same steps as the Big Ticket wouldn’t be shocking. Then again, regardless of whether he gets a ring or not, the NBA needs to lean into the fact that they have a player who could have traded jabs with Larry Bird in the 1980s, bumped elbows with Dennis Rodman or the Glove in the 1990s, outlasted Tim Duncan or Shaquille O’Neal in the 2000s.

The Ant Man is a basketball sensation. And getting KG’s stamp of approval only further cements his potential.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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