Anthony Edwards has been flooding the headlines with his pot of bold claims. He took a bold shot at NBA history with, “I didn’t watch it back in the day so I can’t speak on it. 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 really had skill.” Even though Edwards questioned the skills of the legends before him, he made an exception for Michael Jordan.

But the NBA world was in no mood to tolerate this statement! Cue Stephen A. Smith, Jordan’s close friend and NBA commentator. He recently went on to respond to this “out of bounds” statement with a passionate response. “Forgive the young buck for what he does not know,” Smith said He dismissed Edwards’s comments as naive. “He didn’t see Charles Barkley play. He didn’t see Larry Bird or Isiah Thomas, who Michael Jordan himself called the second-greatest point guard in basketball history,” he added.

But Smith did not stop at just that! He continued to school Edwards on the greatest of the show. Smith brought up legends like Ray Allen and Reggie Mille. “I can go back, and when you look at shooters, for example, as great as Steph Curry is because he’s the greatest of all time.” He went on with the list of legends and said, “I can go back to the days of Dale Ellis, Ricky Pierce, and guys like that. I remember downtown Freddie Brown for crying out loud.”

Smith even had a little piece of advice for his favorite, “And, oh, by the way, let me not forget, even before Kobe Bryant, there was a guy by the name of Vince Carter, the best in-game dunker in the history of basketball. And you know that Ant Edwards is one of my top two favorite players in the NBA, him and Steph Curry.”

Smith reminded everyone of the legends who paved the way, making the NBA what it is today. He emphasized that today’s greatness stands on their shoulders.  “I would ask Anthony Edwards to go back and watch Vince Carter dunk during a game. Watch the show this brother put on. Go back and watch Tracy McGrady and what Tracy McGrady did on the basketball court. I’m just saying. Watch the map,” he added.

What Did Isiah Have to Say?

Smith was not the only one to react strongly. NBA legend Isiah Thomas weighed in on this debate. He wrote on X, “Propaganda works, so be careful what you choose to believe.” For Thomas, this comes from a place of experience. He has been open over the years about his struggle with media representation. Even more so, after Michael Jordan’s portrayal of him in “The Last Dance.”

Thomas, unlike Smith, took this a step further and said that a public apology was called for! “You said that on national television. Now if you didn’t mean it, get on national television and apologize for it. Now if you meant it? Let it ride as it is,” he said. Thomas has been outspoken since the very beginning. Especially when it comes to the generational debate. He once went on record to say, “Based on what I’ve seen, LeBron James is the best who’s ever played.” He continued, “Not only does the eye test verify it, but then now you look at his body of work in terms of data and statistics to support it. I mean, we’ve never had a player dominate, other than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, for two decades.” Is this an issue of nostalgia that makes everything seem better? Or is there some fire to this smoke?