Anthony Edwards faces harsh criticism after comments about former NBA players: ‘Sounds like a fool’

Anthony Edwards isn’t making many friends in NBA circles.

The 2020 first overall pick recently criticized previous generations of NBA players, saying he didn’t think “anyone” had “skills” other than Michael Jordan.

“They say it was tougher then than it is now, but I don’t think anybody had talent back then,” Edwards recently told the Wall Street Journal. “So when they saw Kobe (Bryant), they were like, ‘Oh, my God.’ But now everybody has talent.”

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Minnesota Timberwolves’ #5 Anthony Edwards celebrates a three-pointer during the third quarter against the Denver Nuggets in game seven of the second round of the Western Conference Playoffs at Ball Arena on May 19, 2024 in Denver. (C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images)

I can say that the old bosses didn’t like that.

Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, a five-time NBA champion, was quite direct in his response.

“I never comment on a guy who’s never won a championship. He hasn’t won a college championship, I don’t even know if he’s won a high school championship,” Johnson said during a recent appearance in Los Angeles.

Even Kevin Garnett, a legend of Edwards’ current team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, thought Edwards was acting a little outside the rules.

“If I’m being honest, bro, I don’t think anyone from this generation could have played 20 years ago,” he said on the “All The Smoke” podcast.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards celebrates a foul against the Phoenix Suns during the first half of Game 4 of the first round of the NBA playoff series on Sunday, April 28, 2024 in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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“Let me tell you something, bro,” Garnett continued. “Twenty years ago, you couldn’t get to a triple step-back, and if you shot that s—, it had to go in. You know why? We used to be efficient, bro. It was so f—ing hard, it was too physical. The competition had to come off it to get the flow going, and that’s why we like to sit here and watch the rat race of the fast game.”

But longtime ESPN anchor Tony Kornheiser was perhaps the most vehement, saying Edwards “sounds like a fool.”

“He needs to look at these people because he’s destroying NBA legends,” Kornheiser said Tuesday on “Pardon the Interruption.”

“This is a man, he’s a talented player… he should have stopped with this quote, ‘I didn’t see it, I can’t say anything.’ He should have stopped there, because you’re throwing generations of NBA stars into the trash heap.”

“This is the lack of interest in looking at history”

Edwards lived up to his reputation while still in college, averaging a personal-best 25.9 points per game this past season, along with thunderous, posterizing dunks. He’s fresh off an Olympic gold medal in Paris.

He helped the T-Wolves reach the Western Conference finals and they look set to make another deep playoff run.

Minnesota Timberwolves’ #5 Anthony Edwards looks on during the game against the Dallas Mavericks during Round 3, Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on May 30, 2024 at Target Center in Minneapolis. (Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

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Edwards also posted a personal best shooting percentage of 46.7% in the 2023-24 season, while his 5.1 assists were the highest percentage of his career.

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