Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson didn’t hold back in his response to Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards and his comments about there not being many skilled players other than Michael Jordan in previous eras of the NBA.
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“Well, you know, I don’t never respond to a guy that’s never won a championship,” Johnson said. “There’s not nothing to really say. He didn’t win a college championship. I don’t even know if he won a high school championship.”
Edwards’ comments were a little disrespectful to Hall of Famers like Johnson, who was a 12-time All-Star, three-time league MVP and a three-time NBA Finals MVP during his storied career.
An unbelievable passer – especially at his size – Johnson is widely considered to be one of the greatest point guards to ever play the game. He averaged 19.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 11.2 assists per game for his career, leading the NBA in assists per game in four different seasons.
Johnson was also a skilled defender, leading the NBA in steals per game twice, putting up a career-high 3.4 steals per game in the 1980-81 season.
While Edwards may not appreciate some of the play from earlier generations, Johnson doesn’t seem too worried about his comments.
A rising star for the Timberwolves, Edwards doesn’t have anywhere near the career accomplishments that Johnson does, and he’s yet to lead his team to an NBA Finals in his career.
Still, the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft did take the Wolves to the Western Conference Finals in the 2023-24 season. Minnesota ended up losing to the Dallas Mavericks, but it had one of the most successful campaigns in franchise history with Edwards leading the way.
Through four NBA seasons, Edwards has earned two All-Star selections, and All-Rookie selection and an All-NBA selection.
Basketball has changed throughout the years, and there is no doubt that players are adding more skills to their games, especially with the heavy reliance on the 3-point shot in today’s NBA.
Still, Edwards may want to be careful about calling out past generations, especially since there are many Hall of Famers – like Johnson – that likely would have succeeded in any era.
The Timberwolves star will look to lead his team to a title in the 2024-25 season to see if he can get Johnson to hold him in a higher regard going forward.
