Since he arrived at the league, people have regularly compared Anthony Edwards to the greatest basketball legend, Michael Jordan. His unapologetic self, natural charisma, and absolute self-confidence have all made him quite the favorite among basketball fans. One doesn’t necessarily have to be a Timberwolves fan. But they indeed would find themselves drawn to the ANT.

While it is a great honor to be compared to ‘His Airness,’ Edwards recently said that he would like all the comparisons to stop. No, he wasn’t being full of himself, nor was he being insulting. The Wolves franchise superstar simply wanted to be known for his achievements. “I want people to be like, ‘this Anthony Edwards kid has got his own style. He maybe got a mix of Michael Jordan in him,'” the 2x All-Star had said to Malika Andrews on Good Morning America ahead of Game 3.

Andrews decided to get someone who knew MJ and his career like the back of his hand to give his opinion on the Ant-Man’s statement. Michael Wilbon, the ESPN analyst, has covered Jordan’s life for his entire career. As he sat down with Malika, he said, “I’m sorry, he reminds me of Michael Jeffrey Jordan. And you know what else? He reminds Michael Jordan of Michael Jordan.”

But the senior commentator pointed out something else. A fact that Anthony Edwards would be happy about. “We can’t get carried away with that comparison. It’s unfair to each man.” Seeing as the 22-year-old was particular about his preference, it would only be right to heed his wish. Ant did point out what exactly makes him different, among other things.

“I’ve got a trey ball … that makes me a little different than Michael Jordan”: Anthony Edwards on what sets him apart from the 6x champion

It hasn’t been long since three-pointers have become an important aspect of the NBA games. As such, shooting from the three-point line wasn’t a big deal in Jordan’s time, and hence, the Bulls legend thrived primarily as a mid-range shooter. MJ averaged only 0.5 made threes on 1.7 attempts per game and shot only 32.7% from downtown.

In contrast, Anthony Edwards averages 2.6 treys per game in his career and shoots 35.3% from beyond the arc. Of course, were the 14x All-Star to play in today’s NBA, many of the three-point maestros would have difficulty keeping up. Yet, Wilbon believes that Ant’s claim of trey ball is reminiscent of a young Kobe.

“A young Kobe who would say after a game to me at times, ‘Could the old man have guarded me tonight? You think he will? Let’s call him.’ That speaks to the admiration and natural charisma, but honesty and feeling, ‘Yeah I’m the best and I’m going to prove this.'” It certainly is the ANT in a nutshell!

Well, the young guard might want to evolve and develop into ‘Anthony Edwards.’ But the Jordan comparisons will always be there. Or at least, parallels between the two will always be drawn. And now we can even add the ‘Black Mamba’ to the list.