Anthony Edwards and Michael Jordan have long been rumored to be related to each other given just how similar they have looked and sounded on more than a few occasions. While this has often been shrugged off as nothing more than a wild theory, a certain video recently went viral, in which the star seems to confirm that he is indeed the Chicago legend’s son. But did it really happen?
Following Game 6 of the Timberwolves-Nuggets series, Anthony Edwards was seen holding up seven fingers. In the clip in question, the combo guard is heard telling the reporters that he held up 7 as a declaration of wanting to win one more ring than his “father” Michael Jordan did.
“The real reason I held up 7, it’s because I’m getting 7 rings to surpass my father. I got that MJ chromosome inside me, I’m about to eat some good chicken nuggets Sunday night,” Ant says in the video.
At first, it does seem as though Ant is really saying the statements in question here. However, it is worth noting that this is a fake video, generated by AI.
Once carefully noticed, it can evidently be seen that the words and Ant’s lip movement don’t quite match up. Additionally, the video was posted by a popular parody X (formerly “Twitter”) account, ‘The NBA Centel’. And as seen in the comments section, other users have pointed out just this as well.
That said, while Ant may not be related to ‘His Airness’, the similarities between them are likely only going to encourage comparisons till kingdom come.
Shaquille O’Neal and Kevin Garnett compared Anthony Edwards to Michael Jordan
Shaquille O’Neal was one of the first esteemed personalities from the basketball community to begin the Anthony Edwards-Michael Jordan narrative. During the 2023 FIBA World Cup, the TNT analyst posted a bunch of Instagram Stories, claiming that Ant was the current era’s MJ.
Kevin Garnett then took it a step further. In the midst of the 2023-2024 campaign, the 2008 champion initially claimed that Ant-Man had flashes of a 1984 rookie version of Air Jordan. However, it didn’t take Garnett long before he changed his stance. Merely a few weeks later, KG claimed that Edwards reminded him of a prime 1988 version of Michael Jordan.
The comparison became the hottest topic in the basketball world. Apart from fans and analysts, even the past and present players of the league began giving their input on the same. In fact, Michael Jordan also chimed in on the conversations. As revealed by Stephen A. Smith, the NBA GOAT agreed that the 22-year-old was “special”.
Despite having eerily similar traits to Michael Jordan, Anthony Edwards requested for the comparisons to stop. Considering that he wanted to be known for his own style, the Wolves leader seemed genuine when he wanted the constant comparisons to stop.
Whether he likes it or not, the comparison to MJ is here to stay. As he keeps improving, the conversation will merely amplify. Hence, Ant can use this as motivation to win multiple titles, proving why he’s the most accurate comparison to Michael Jordan.