Rising NBA Star Snubs LeBron James When Giving His All-Time Top 5 List

This young guard did include some other Lakers.

The NBA is chock-full of storylines -- varying from the past to the present, the present to the future, and everything in-between. 

Among the more prominent storylines includes the debate between Los Angeles Lakers All-NBA small forward LeBron James and Chicago Bulls Hall of Fame shooting guard Michael Jordan. Simply put: Are You Team James or Team Jordan? Is LeBron your all-time G.O.A.T -- or does 'His Royal Airness' hold that title? 

This is a topic bandied about all over the planet. Aside from the die-hard fans and even casual ones, NBA players themselves aren't bashful in giving their opinions on the matter. In this case, rising NBA star Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves was asked about his all-time top-five NBA players list in an interview with the HEIR app:

Anthony Edwards' top 5 NBA players of all-time:

Michael Jordan
Kobe Bryant
Shaquille O'Neal
Allen Iverson
Kevin Durant

Thoughts? 🤔

(via @Heir_Company)pic.twitter.com/1pVFGqWQdp

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 20, 2023

Here's what Edwards said: 

"MJ, Kobe [Bryant], Shaq [O'Neal]...that's three. Allen Iverson, and, I mean, of course KD for me."

Curiously missing from the list is James. We might be reading a bit too much into this. There's a very possible and potentially probable scenario in which Edwards simply thinks that those five athletes are truly better than the rest when it comes to the game of basketball. 

With that said, perhaps there's some gamesmanship going on here? Edwards is very much emerging onto the scene as potentially an All-NBA player this upcoming year. He's been dominating play for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup, and truly looks to be on the cusp of superstardom. 

ANTHONY EDWARDS OH MY GOODNESS 🤯#USABMNT vs. Germany on FOX pic.twitter.com/2rkOTlv9Pu

— NBA (@NBA) August 20, 2023

James is the 'old guard' spokesman in the league currently. Having played two decades in the NBA, the vast majority of his peers are now generations younger than he is. Edwards, among that group, could be looking to 'put the old guard out to pasture' if it means basking in the national limelight. 

Then again, he could simply just prefer Kevin Durant over King James -- a player many also like to compare James to in this current era. 

Ultimately, we have to figure that this rigmarole won't end anytime soon. Stay tuned to see if James feels slighted by Edwards when the two teams square off this upcoming year. 

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