Shaquille O’Neal loses it after making NSFW joke while talking Anthony Edwards’ emergence
Shaquille O'Neal has been vocal about Anthony Edwards' meteoric rise in the NBA, naming the Minnesota Timberwolves guard as one of the top five players in the league currently.
In a recent chat on TNT's postgame segment, the 4x NBA champion was dissecting Edwards' game and made an NSFW joke while sharing his thoughts on the 22-year-old's emergence.
While O'Neal stopped himself in the nick of time, he had just enough to ensure that the sound bite would go viral in the days to come, especially with anything to do with Edwards. On the panel, O'Neal was with his usual spot-on analysis:
"Anthony Edwards is c*****g... "
He followed it up with a sheepish grin, and the discussion moved on. That comes in the aftermath of the Timberwolves' shock defeat to the Charlotte Hornets who held their own despite Karl-Anthony Towns' 62-point explosion, creating NBA history after draining 44 in the first quarter.
Anthony Edwards had a forgettable game with just nine points, but that could pretty much be dismissed as a one-off when looking at his overall numbers and contributions this season. Nonetheless, Shaquille O'Neal had some words to say, and he didn't mince any when he did.
Shaquille O'Neal calls Anthony Edwards as the modern league's Michael Jordan
It comes as lofty praise, but Shaquille O'Neal stood by it when he called Anthony Edwards the next Michael Jordan.
The former big took to Instagram to share a post that highlighted Edwards as the next big thing in the league. The caption read: "The MJ of our generation is here"
At 22, Edwards is making quite the headlines with Minnesota. He was selected to his first All-Star team and was a vital cog in Team USA's quest to win gold at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, which they eventually didn't.
Edwards averaged 24.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists over 79 games last season. This season, he has turned that up a notch, averaging 25.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 40 games as the Timberwolves take the top spot in a stacked Western Conference.
Earlier, he made it clear that it's all about winning a championship with the Timberwolves.
"My goal for us is not really 60 wins, it's to win the championship," Edwards said. "Get to the championship, that's the goal."
In recent news, he was selected in the 41-player pool for the 2024 USA basketball team.
With things looking bright for the young guard, it remains to be seen if he can guide them to a title. For now, Anthony Edwards is making the headlines for all the right reasons.