Stephen A. Smith compares Anthony Edwards to Jordan, Kobe, Vince
If you didn't know before Thursday night that the Minnesota Timberwolves are the real deal, you probably do now because it was their first appearance on a nationally televised TNT broadcast and they made the most of it with an electrifying 15-point win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Leading the way was Anthony Edwards, who went wild by scoring 26 of his 28 points in the second half, including a lob pass to himself off the glass for a thunderous dunk. It was so good that mainstream sportscasters like Stephen A. Smith are now addicted.
"Listen to what I'm saying to you on national television," Smith said Friday morning on ESPN's First Take. "Right now when I see Anthony Edwards, I see in the making, Vince Carter, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan. You know how I hate cold weather. I'll fly to Minnesota to see that brother. He is box office. Anthony Edwards, you hear what I'm saying to y'all, he is special.
"He ain't there yet, in terms of the names I mentioned, but he is coming and he is box office. Worthy of walking through the turnstiles to see that brother play. He is a show-stopper. I want the NBA to put the Minnesota Timberwolves on national television even more. Yes. Yes. Yes."
.@stephenasmith on Ant 🔥 pic.twitter.com/8rSMjHF3A3
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 19, 2024
It isn't the first time Edwards, who is only 22 years old, has been compared to Michael Jordan. Patrick Beverley, who played with Edwards during the 2021-22 season, also made the comparison.
"If I say this, I know you guys are going to look at me like I’m crazy and I’m going to put all that pressure on that kid," Beverley said in March of 2022 on J.J. Redick's The Old Man and the Three podcast. "I told him, 'Man, you got a chance, man. You got a chance, brother, to be Michael Jordan. You really do. You really do.'"
Edwards is the leader of a Wolves team that leads the Western Conference with a record of 30-11, putting them on pace for exactly 60 wins.
Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen. His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011. Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play. Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers. Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17.