By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Failing to accept opinions, ballooning following a 43-point showing in Game 1 of a best-of-seven series against defending NBA champions Denver Nuggets, Anthony Edwards fell well shy of being a fan of comparisons between himself and Michael Jordan.
“I want it to stop,” he explained to FOX Sports, rejecting such views spreading from fellow NBA players across the basketball world, “He is the greatest of all time. I can not be compared to him.”
After averaging 31.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.8 blocks per contest in a four-game sweep versus the Phoenix Suns, the 22-year-old American guard followed up by piling up 43 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and one steal, leading the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 1-0 lead against the Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals of the NBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel. Staying in Ball Arena, Game 2 will be played on Monday.
European superstars taking over the league based in North America over recent years, including Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo and Serbian Nikola Jokic winning back-to-back season MVP awards in succession between 2019 and 2022, players from the United States have been forced into supporting roles. A public push in favor of Edwards, a prominent member of Team USA in the 2023 FIBA World Cup and a selection for head coach Steve Kerr heading to the 2024 Olympic Games, seems to be a natural option for more attention to players from the United States in the NBA.