Michael Jordan and LeBron James. That has been always the discussion. It still is, many of you would claim. Yet, even those who say so cannot disregard that a young, new face has been receiving just as much attention, particularly with regard to ‘His Airness’. Yes, we are talking about Anthony Edwards. The flashy, confident, swagger 22-year-old who’s taken the NBA by storm! He is, in fact, compared to MJ for all these qualities.

Despite his age, Edwards has shown maturity and leadership like that of a veteran of the franchise. And they couldn’t be more grateful for it. Hoping that Karl-Anthony Towns would have been the one to carry the Wolves to the promised land, the organization did everything to make him comfortable. Unfortunately, no one they brought in managed to stick.

Along came a Bulldogs guard with sky-high ambitions and a personality to go with it

Rated a five-star recruit, a top-five player, and the top shooting guard in the 2019 class, Minnesota drafted Ant-Man as the No. 1 pick in 2020. They didn’t know at the time, but the Wolves had just gotten their superstar. In his fourth year in the NBA now, Anthony Edwards has been nothing short of spectacular for his wolf pack.

As ANT improved each passing year, so did the organization. KAT has bloomed into the player the franchise always believed he would be. He has built a solid relationship with Edwards and with the help of 4x DPOY, Rudy Gobert, the trio has proved to be a nightmare for many top teams this season. The ‘North Star State’ disposed off the Big 3 of the Suns in the playoffs first round, advancing to a head-to-head with the defending champions, Denver Nuggets.

In a mind-blowing thriller-blockbuster of a series, Anthony Edwards and Co. once again took care of the ‘Joker’ and his squad. Game 7 saw Anthony pretty much turn into Kermit Wilts of his first Hollywood movie, Hustle! Finally, after superhuman efforts to get his team to the brink of the NBA Finals for the first time in the franchise’s history, the Minnesota Timberwolves lost two games in a row to the Dallas Mavericks.

Just like that, all those Jordan comparisons seem to have withered down. Or laced with doubts about whether the propagators were a little too hasty in jumping on the bandwagon. What contributed to this sudden change of heart?

A gassed Anthony Edwards has caused many to question the MJ comparisons

These doubtful comments were particularly loud after the 108-109 Game 2 loss. ANT had to leave the floor for 2+ minutes mid-game to receive oxygen. While it is true that Edwards plays with his heart and soul in a game and brings unparalleled energy, since entering the WCF, the 2x All-Star has looked out of breath. Charles Barkley said as much in the Inside the NBA episode.

“Ant is so tired right now. He’s never been this deep in the playoffs and he looked tired.” Anyone who has watched the game would find it hard to disagree with him. Unfortunately, Shaq didn’t believe in such a thing as exhaustion. It would seem like many think like the ‘Big Diesel’. They took it a step further when they posited if the Bulls legend, who he regularly gets compared to, ever claimed he was tired.

We are sure hardcore Jordan fans would already know the answer. But for those that aren’t, the NBA legend’s answer might come as a surprise. The 6x champion and 14x All-Star, has admitted, on several occasions, that he was “just tired.” One of the most popular instances would be from The Last Dance documentary. Towards the end of the sixth episode, ‘Air Jordan’ shared how exhausted he was after Chicago’s win over the Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals.

“Physically I was exhausted, but mentally I was way past exhausted. When you try to do something repetitively, you lose some of the hunger, and some of the edge.” It was his third consecutive ring, following which he decided to retire before once again making his way back in 1995.

Now, you might point out that this statement was by a 30-year-old Michael Jordan. And we are talking about 22-year-old Anthony Edwards. Here’s one for you. The 10x scoring champion had played for North Carolina when he was in college. MJ was part of Deam Smith’s team-oriented system from 1981 to 84. He was 18 years old in ’81. David Halberstam, a Pulitzer Prize recipient and author of Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan and the World He Made, details one of many revealing anecdotes that shaped Jordan into the global legend he is.

“Coach,” Michael said, almost apologetically, “I think I need to rest. I think I’m tired. I’ve been playing basketball steadily, even in the summer, for two years, and the truth is, I haven’t had any time off in a long time. I think I need to take a break.”

Well, there you go. A young Michael Jordan, who hadn’t even made it to the NBA, was contemplating taking a break. All we have to tell you is a fact the 6x champion stated in a 1997 Nike commercial. We leave it to you to decide if the comparisons were wasted.

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”