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Magic roasts Edwards for saying previous eras lacked skill

Tyler Ross / National Basketball Association / Getty

NBA legend Magic Johnson didn't enjoy Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards' recent claim about Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan being the only skilled player from past eras.

"I never respond to a guy who's never won a championship," Johnson said in an interview with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith.

"(Edwards) didn't win a college championship. I don't know if he even won a high school championship."

The NBA Hall of Famer was responding to comments made by Edwards when the 23-year-old told the Wall Street Journal's Lane Florsheim: "They say it was tougher back then than it is now, but I don't think anybody had skill back then. (Michael Jordan) was the only one that really had skill."

Edwards won a Georgia state title in 2018 while attending Holy Spirit Preparatory School. He also won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA at the 2024 Paris Games.

However, the Timberwolves star hasn't replicated that success in his NBA career. Edwards has made it past the opening round of the playoffs just once in his four seasons in Minnesota.

Johnson, who played in the NBA from 1979-91 and briefly returned for 32 games in the 1995-96 season, is a five-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers. The 6-foot-9 guard was named Finals MVP for three of those championships. Johnson also won the 1979 NCAA title with Michigan State, beating the Indiana State and NBA legend Larry Bird in the championship game.

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