76ers Star Criticizes Anthony Edwards for 'Disrespectful' Remarks

Anthony Edwards’s rise within the NBA has been phenomenal as he is one of the young players who gather attention in the league. After the season of 2023-2024, and some deep playoff runs with Minnesota Timberwolves, others have started to refer to him as ‘the New Michael Jordan’.

While this tends to praise him, as being very skilled, it also comes with a lot of pressure. In order to rise to such a comparison judiciously set by the public, Edwards will not only require his skills but also that attitude which defined the entire career of Jordan.

This is, though quite possibly what has gotten him into problems lately. Use of this tone affected him while giving this particular interview with the Wall Street Journal, which made some people recoil. “I didn’t watch it back in the day, so I can’t speak about it,” Edwards said, according to Anthony Pasciolla in The Sporting News.

“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 one that had skill, you know what I mean? So that’s why when they saw Kobe (Bryant), they were like, 'Oh, my God.'

But now everybody has skill”.

Respecting Basketball Legacy

The above assertion, even if it were to hold, has of course led to a heated conversation. Naturally, basketball has undergone significant changes over time, but underestimating the abilities of foregone legends has rubbed many the wrong way.

The account of any game has been plagued by a long line of contributors, most of whom are in the past and repaying that debt is what ensures the game’s existence and development. Paul George, Philadelphia 76ers' player, was not left speechless as he weighed in on the controversies brought up by Edwards.

In one episode of Podcast P, he elaborated: “I thought it was disrespectful to the game. I thought it was a very immature comment. I mean, we all know that Anthony Edwards is very talented and, in fact, is a super talent for the years to come.

But, still, to understand how much the game has evolved and how far – it’s all nice and good now. But you’ve got to pay your dues to the people who did it before us”.