"This is to Ant and everyone in our league": After Magic Johnson, Kevin Garnett blasts Anthony Edwards with 'honest' history lesson
Former NBA player Kevin Garnett responded to Minnesota Timberwolves rising superstar Anthony Edwards' statement about the lack of skill among NBA players 20 years ago. Edwards faced criticism for saying that aside from Michael Jordan, no player from over 20 years ago had any real skill.
Garnett didn't hold back, responding that no players from the current generation could have competed in the league 20 years ago. The Hall of Famer emphasized the league's physicality in the past while making his point.
"If I'm being honest bro, I don't think anybody in this generation could have played 20 years ago, if I'm being 100," Garnett said on 'KG Certified'.
"This is to Ant. This is to everyone in our league, to Tatum. Let me tell y'all something: 20 years ago you couldn't get to a triple stepback. If you shot that sh*t, it had to go in. We had efficiency back in the day, my dude. It was so fu**ing hard; it was too physical.
"The league had to come off of it for the floor movement to be able to have scoring go up. ... But let's not talk about the gamesmanship and the physicality of the game back then because I don't think half these kids would have been on an NBA team 20 years ago, the locker rooms were too grown," he added.
What did Anthony Edwards say?
Speaking at the Fanatics Fest, Anthony Edwards addressed those who believe the game was tougher in the past.
"I didn't watch it back in the day, so I can't speak on it," Edwards said.
"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 who really had skill, you know what I mean? So that's why when they saw Kobe, they were like, 'Oh, my God.' But now everybody has skill," he added.
Legendary basketball players Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas also slammed the Timberwolves star for only acknowledging Jordan's skill and ignoring the greatness of other players.
"I never respond to a guy that's never won a championship," Johnson told Stephen A. Smith at an event in Los Angeles.
"He didn't win a college championship, I don't know if he even won a high school championship," the former Lakers superstar added.
Thomas, meanwhile, slammed Anthony Edwards for seemingly spreading propaganda and warned people against believing everything they hear.