Is Michael Jordan Rooting Against NBA’s New MJ? 1 Factor Could Pit 6x Champ Against Anthony Edwards

Anthony Edwards is slowly establishing himself as one of the most prominent faces of the NBA. During his ongoing fourth season, the 22-year-old has been leading the average scoring effort for Minnesota and has now brought them to the Western Conference Finals after a 20-year hiatus.

Edwards’ on-court excellence has resulted in him being dubbed ‘the next Michael Jordan’. In fact, Jordan himself had earlier come out to praise the player. With the Timberwolves now set to compete against the Luka Doncic-led Dallas Mavericks, will MJ easy up on his ‘support’ for Edwards?

Fans following Luka Doncic’s career since his 2018 draft are aware of the mutual respect he shares with the six-time NBA champion. And in case some of them had forgotten, an X user Landon Thomas put out a reminder. He highlighted a clip shot during the 2021 ceremony that celebrated the 75th Anniversary of the NBA. Doncic was present as Michael Jordan and several other NBA legends were honored as part of the special ‘75 Anniversary Team’.

In the aftermath, Jordan was captured sneaking up behind the Mavericks star and sharing a warm greeting. The duo conversed briefly before Jordan shook hands with Karl-Anthony Towns and then proceeded to exit. Given that he is quite a private individual, not many NBA fans of today get the chance to see Michael Jordan being so comfortable around a player of the modern generation.

Michael Jordan and Luka Doncic share a professional relationship. It began in 2022 when the Slovenian player became the latest individual to partner with Nike’s ‘Air Jordan brand. “Luka is a phenomenal player, and at such a young age,” said Michael Jordan in a reported statement. “He’s demonstrating skill it takes many guys years to develop. It will be incredible to watch him continue to advance in the league.”

Since the commencement of the partnership, over three different versions of Jordan Luka sneakers have been released by Nike. In April, during a matchup against the Clippers, the 25-year-old was seen wearing the latest Jordan Luka 3 in the ‘Photo Finish’ colorway.

The Jordan Brand has also done its part in hyping the contributions of Doncic. In April 2022, the player successfully recorded an All-Time 500 playoff points within 16 games. The only other player to achieve such a feat was Michael Jordan, who did it in 14 games. The brand took to its X (then Twitter) account to highlight the record and write “And so the legend of Luka continues…”. Luka Doncic is one of the most prominent ambassadors of the same brand that reportedly made Michael Jordan over $1.5 billion since 1986. If there is anyone in the NBA who can have the Bulls legend root against Anthony Edwards, then it is him.

Michael Jordan believes that Anthony Edwards is “special”

Some might question why people believe that Michael Jordan ever rooted for Anthony Edwards. The reason is because he himself said so! However, he didn’t say anything like this. That is why his praise had to be made public via an intermediary.

Back in April 2024, ESPN Sportscaster Stephen A. Smith devoted a major chunk of his time to discussing the Timberwolves’ win in Game 1 of the playoffs. The athleticism displayed by ‘Ant-Man’ during the matchup was enough to convince Smith to call up a friend and discuss the same. The friend turned out to be, you guessed it, Michael Jordan himself.

“I called the GOAT, Michael Jordan, and I’m like ‘Yo, you seeing this?’” Smith revealed during the show. “And Michael Jordan is like ‘That Brother is special. No question about it’”.

Game 1 of the Westen Conference Finals will take place two days from now. Luka Doncic may even end up trolling Anthony Edwards by showing up with a pair of ‘Jordan Luka’s. Anything can happen in this crucial stage, as two prominent players bearing the respect of Michael Jordan will clash for a chance to compete for the ultimate title.