Stephen A. Smith Claps Back at Anthony Edwards’ Diss on Old-School NBA, a Year After Revealing MJ’s 5:54 AM Text to End PG Debate

Did Anthony Edwards hit his head hard? Because there is no way a sane person would denounce an entire generation of NBA players simply because he is not familiar with their game. You probably get what we are referring to here. Yup, the viral ANT “I don’t think anybody had skill back then” except Michael Jordan, comment.

Would it be a stretch to say that he practically started a war with that remark? Well, it would be foolish to hope that the greats who ruled the MJ era wouldn’t take offense to it. Sure, ‘His Airness’ was the highlight of the time, because he had successfully turned himself and his name into a globally marketable brand amidst deadly competition.

Names like Dr. J, Reggie Miller, Magic Johnson, etc. command respect unlike anything we have seen. So, it was no surprise the “Bad Boys” Pistons legend, Isiah Thomas, already responded to Anthony Edwards with a reminder of his own. And now, we have the vet analyst, Stephen A. Smith on NBA on ESPN, slamming the breaks on Ant-Man. “Forgive the young buck for what he does not know,” he hilariously said in the latest episode of First Take. 

“You can look and appreciate today’s players, understand there’s an elevated level of talent because they piggybacked off the talent that preceded them. The pioneers that came before them. But that’s not to sit up there and summarily dismiss the older generation and what they brought to the table and how innovative and tremendously talented they were,” Smith added.

Stephen A. proceeded to name a few of the elite names in the industry back then – Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Ricky Pierce, Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, and Zeke, who SAS pointed out that Michael Jordan himself dubbed as “one of the most skilled point guards this game has ever seen,” behind Magic Johnson. Everybody acquainted with MJ and Isiah Thomas knows there is no love lost between them. Even so, the Bulls legend had no qualms about giving credit where credit was due.

MJ’s early morning text to Stephen A. Smith to end the greatest point-guard of all-time debate, despite “hate”

MJ might have locked horns with Thomas on the court, but there was no denying the skills of the former 12x All-Star. And that alone warranted Jordan’s respect for Zeke. “To me, if the best point guard of all time is Magic Johnson, [then] right behind him is Isiah Thomas. No matter how much I hate him, I respect his game,” he had once said in 2020.

But the top place resided with the Lakers icon, Magic Johnson. While the above statement from Jordan provided a glimpse into what he considered greatness, it seems like the greatest point guard of all time debate deserved a more convincing comment. And who did His Airness choose to be his spokesman? Why, none other than Stephen A. Smith!

A year before, in an episode of First Take, the controversial analyst read out a text that he claimed to have received from Michael Jordan at 5:54 AM. And this is what the ex-5x MVP had to say: “Although greatest of anything is always a debate, I beg to differ on greatest point guard of all-time… Magic Johnson is easily the best point guard of all time. Steph Curry is very close, but not in front of Magic… Magic was the best!”

Well, enough said, we suppose? But just for that extra something, here’s a quick look at their respective career achievements with respect to point guard duties. Bear in mind, though, what constitutes a point guard now wasn’t what it was then. A key piece of the “Showtime” era, Johnson has five rings to his name, was a 3x Finals MVP and 3x league MVP.

Widely recognized for his three-point shots at a time when it was the least used method for scoring and the mastery of triple-double, Magic can very well be considered a forerunner. His record of 30 triple-doubles in the playoffs still ranks at the top, while his regular season record of 138 is the third-best of all time. Now what about our ‘Golden Boy’?

The 4x champion of the Warriors dynasty leads the list in the most treys made in both the regular season (3,747) and the playoffs (618). Steph Curry was also named as the Finals MVP once and league MVP, twice. So, what do you make of it?

Was Anthony Edwards right in saying only Michael Jordan had skill in the old-school NBA? And who do you think is a better point guard between Magic and Steph? Let us know in the comments.

 Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Asia Avinger.