“Loser, Michael Jordan”: 22YO Anthony Edwards On The Verge Of Eclipsing Bulls Legend, Courtesy of Victor Wembanyama

Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards is on his way to marking a prominent spot in the history books of the NBA. At just 22 years of age, he has become the leading scorer of his franchise and has several records along the road. Having brought the Timberwolves to the Conference Finals for the first time in 20 years. He is on the road to earning a championship ring in this tournament. Earning this feat at such a young age would allow him to set a record that not even Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan came close to accomplishing.

A few hours ago, renowned sports podcaster Bill Simmons released another episode of his long-running show. With former ESPN personality Ryen Russillo joining in as guest host, the duo discussed the Timberwolves’ recent triumph, as they established a 4-3 win record against the defending champions Denver Nuggets and eliminated them from the tournament. Simmons highlighted that one player unintentionally caused a butterfly effect that caused the Nuggets’ early elimination. That player is 20-year-old San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama. Before entering the playoffs, the Nuggets faced off against the Spurs as part of their second-last regular season game.

To everyone’s surprise, the Spurs ended up securing the win. While Nikola Jokic and co had held on to the first seed earlier, this loss caused them to slip to the second seed and end up right behind Oklahoma City Thunder.

If the Nuggets had not lost to Victor Wembanyama and let the top seed slip from their hands, they wouldn’t have had to face the Timberwolves in the second round of the playoffs. This unintentional action did end up altering the course of the NBA tournament. However, when looking at the even bigger picture, Wembanyama may have helped Anthony Edwards establish a record that somehow slipped from the six-time Chicago Bulls champion.

“I think that Wemby affected the title loser, Michael Jordan,” said Simmons. “MJ, you never won a title when you were 22”.

The host highlighted how some players, including Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and 11-time NBA champion Bill Russell, were either 22 years old or younger when they won their first championship. However, this feat has been unattainable by some of the greatest basketball players, including Michael Jordan, LeBron James, etc. Anthony Edwards, who is 22 years and 8 months old, is therefore on the verge of creating history in the modern NBA.

“This is a whole other level of historical sh*t,” Simmons continued. “If Minnesota can actually win two more rounds, we’ll see what happens”.

Anthony Edwards does not wish to be known as “the next Michael Jordan”

During his four-year NBA career, especially during this ongoing season, Anthony Edwards has achieved feats that have led many people to call him out as “the next Michael Jordan.” The Bulls legend did not win his first NBA championship until he was 28. He didn’t even win a playoff series until he was 25. However, by 22, he was still a dominant figure who effortlessly competed against forces like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. The comparison is not absurd, with modern NBA analysts seeing the same stats and personality traits in the Timberwolves star. However, it is still not something that the ‘Ant-Man’ would like.

During a recent interview with Malika Andrews, Anthony Edwards clarified that he does not wish to be known as “the next Michael Jordan.” This is due to the 22-year-old’s belief that no other player could ever fill the shoes of the six-time champion. Instead, he wants to progress through the league with a separate identity.

“The first Anthony Edwards, not the next Michael Jordan,” said the Timberwolves star when asked how he would like to be remembered. “I want people to be like, ‘This Anthony Edwards kid, he got his own style like, he maybe got a mix of Michael Jordan in him,’ but I got a trey ball. That makes me a little different than Michael Jordan.”

If Anthony Edwards manages to overcome the Dallas Mavericks and then the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals (Boston Celtics or Indiana Pacers). He will have another thing that will differentiate him from one of the greatest basketball players to walk the face of the earth.