Anthony Edwards has been the talk of the NBA since his return from the 2024 Olympics. “I don’t think anybody had skill back then… But now everybody has skill,” Edwards had said. This controversial take didn’t sit well with many, including Stephen A. Smith and Nick Young. And now, two Celtics legends have joined the conversation, dragging Vince Carter into the mix with their opinions.

Just a few days ago Stephen A. Smith had urged fans and analysts to give Anthony Edwards some leeway, perhaps chalking it up to youthful spirit. But Garnett and Pierce weren’t having it. As players who started their careers in the ‘90s, they took Edwards’ comments personally.

Pierce calmly started by suggesting that the comment was more suitable to be directed toward Michael Jordan’s era and not theirs. “This is one of the skilled players to ever play the game,” he said, pointing towards Garnett and then explaining the ‘creative executions’ of the players then. He argues Baron Davis, Steve Francis, and Kevin Johnson were executing the same “skillful” moves we see from Derrick Rose and Ja Morant today.

Well, of course, he wouldn’t leave out Vincent Carter.

Skills are not what is missing from the players today for Pierce. It is the ‘flair and the imagination’. “Who’s the showman,” he asks. And when the host brings up Carter’s name, Pierce adds, “Exactly like Vince Carter, we never seen nothing like that. That was something different.”

The Big Ticket wasn’t of a much different view.

Garnett points out that the game back then was much more physical, and today’s players wouldn’t have had the same freedom to execute flashy moves as they do now. “If I’m being honest, bro. I don’t think anybody in this generation could have played like 20 years ago,” Garnett declared. He emphasized that the brutal physicality of the ‘90s would have kept many of today’s stars from even making an NBA roster back then.

And who could forget Vince Carter’s iconic ‘Dunk of Death’ during the 2000 Olympics? Carter, alongside Garnett, was part of the gold-winning U.S. team, and his legendary dunk over 7-foot-2 French center Frederic Weis remains one of the most memorable Olympic moments.

Carter’s contribution in bringing back the Slam Dunk Contest and luring in an audience through the skill alone, has been immense. And maybe why he finds himself among those who defined his era quite often, even without a ring.

Vince Carter, a recurring name

Though Stephen A. Smith began by urging fans to “forgive the young buck for what he does not know,” Smith quickly shifted gears, diving into a passionate defense of the greats Edwards seemingly overlooked.

He brought out a list of legendary players that Edwards likely didn’t grow up watching, from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain to Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal. Smith didn’t stop there, adding, “By the way, let me not forget, even before Kobe Bryant, there’s a guy by the name of Vince Carter, the best in-game dunker in the history of basketball.”

And maybe there’s another reason Smith went softer on Edwards for making one of the biggest claims — he sees the some of the best of NBA in the 23-year-old.

“I see Vince Carter…Kobe…MJ in Anthony Edwards,” he tweeted less than a year ago. But he believes the Wolves star has more to learn, suggesting to study up Tracy McGrady—Carter’s cousin and a dunking force in his own right.

Swaggy P, who once claimed Edwards could surpass Michael Jordan, also chimed in with Carter for reasoning. “Nobody in any era doing the dunks Kemp and Vince was doing in game,” he tweeted. While Edwards is much loved, appreciated, and vouched for as the next face of the league, discrediting a whole era isn’t just it for the former icons.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.