Isiah Thomas shoots down Anthony Edwards-Michael Jordan comparisons: "Just because they both jump high, doesn’t mean they’re the same player"
Former Detroit Pistons champion Isiah Thomas, who is perhaps Michael Jordan's biggest rival, has weighed in on the latest player to be compared to MJ. That player is, of course, none other than Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards.
Edwards has earned some high praise for his performances this season. Some have compared his style of play to MJ's, but Thomas isn't buying it and made his feelings known on SiriusXM.
"They're excellent athletes in terms of jumping," Thomas said. "But in terms of their game, their games aren't similar to me."
Thomas acknowledged that Edwards has a strong inside game but added that he is a better perimeter scorer than MJ, who did most of his scoring inside the paint when he was a young player.
The former Pistons player also said that Edwards gets his teammates involved more than MJ did when he was younger.
"Now, that's not a knock on any one of them," Thomas added, "but just because they both jump high doesn't mean that they're the same player."
So far, Anthony Edwards has averaged 35.3% from three in his young career. On the other hand, Michael Jordan did not shoot over 30% from beyond the arc in his first five seasons. Despite that, MJ was the NBA's scoring champion for seven straight seasons (1986-87 to 1992-93) and then again from 1995-96 to 1997-98.
Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan have one of the most bitter rivalries in NBA history
The rivalry between the Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls was one of the defining moments of the NBA in the '80s.
Some believe it began during the 1985 All-Star Game when the Eastern Conference All-Stars, especially Isiah Thomas, were accused of keeping Michael Jordan out of the game by not passing him the ball. The event is known today as the "Freeze-Out game."
During the peak of their rivalry, the Pistons and the Bulls faced each other four times in the postseason (1998-1991). For the first three years, Detroit won each time they clashed in the playoffs, but Chicago finally triumphed by sweeping them in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals.
During the conclusion of that series, the Pistons walked off the court without shaking the Bulls' hands. They even left before the clock hit zero, a move that the Chicago squad viewed as disrespectful.
Then there's the 1992 "Dream Team" controversy. Isiah Thomas was snubbed from the Team USA roster that competed in the 1992 Olympics, and he believes that Michael Jordan is the reason why.
The bitter rivalry between the two Hall of Famers was reignited when "The Last Dance" was released. In the documentary, MJ said that he respects Thomas' game, even placing him as the second-best point guard behind Magic Johnson. However, MJ also admitted that he hates Thomas while calling him an expletive.