Charles Barkley responds to those comparing Anthony Edwards to Michael Jordan
May 20, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Former NBA player and current TNT television personality Charles Barkley prior to game one of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs between the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Anthony Edwards’ outstanding performance in the 2024 NBA Playoffs has led some to compare him to a young Michael Jordan. Charles Barkley, however, will not be one of them.
Barkley had a strong response to the comparisons between Edwards and Jordan on Sunday. In Barkley’s mind, those comparisons are far too premature, and Edwards is not even close to warranting the comparison yet.
Charles Barkley on Anthony Edwards: “Please America, please stop the Michael Jordan stuff. This guy has had one good playoff run. I think he’s going to be a great player…”
Shaq: “Is he close?”
Barkley: “Hellll naw… close to who? They both black.”
— Landon Thomas (@sixfivelando) May 12, 2024
“Please America, please stop the Michael Jordan stuff. This guy has had one good playoff run,” Barkley said. “I think he’s going to be a great player, he’s a really nice kid.”
Barkley objected further when Shaquille O’Neal asked him if Edwards was even close to what Jordan was at age 23.
“Close to who? They both black. He’s not close to Michael Jordan,” Barkley said. “I love Anthony Edwards. Do not do that.”
Edwards has certainly shown some similarities to Jordan, but it is fair to say he has a lot of work to do to even get in the conversation with Jordan. After all, Jordan won his first MVP award in his fourth season, while Edwards is still working on getting himself into that class.
Edwards is still averaging 32.1 points per game in the playoffs so far. One need not compare him to Jordan to demonstrate just how outstanding he has been.