Anthony Edwards is clearly one of the NBA’s most athletic players, and it shows in his leaping ability. The 6-foot-4 guard has thrown down 355 dunks thus far in his six-year career.
In a fun segment with Limited Edit of Singapore, the 25-year-old was asked by the interviewer to break the stick in his hand if the player the interviewer named was a better dunker than him. Edwards showed modesty during the game while also angering fans of the possible GOAT.
Better than His Airness?
The first player named, Julius Erving, caused Ant-Man to break the stick. Dr. J showcased his dunking ability in the 1970s and 1980s, long before Edwards was even born.
Edwards continued the game by simply holding the two pieces of the stick together and separating them when he believed the player named was the better dunker. It was somewhat surprising to see how honest with himself Edwards was during the segment.
After most names, such as Dominique Wilkins, Zach LaVine, Aaron Gordon, Blake Griffin, and Vince Carter, Edwards broke the stick. Wilkins was another superb dunker who played before Edwards was alive.
There were just two names for which Edwards kept the stick together. One was Ja Morant, now on the Portland Trail Blazers. The other was arguably the best player of all time and a two-time winner of the Slam Dunk Contest: Michael Jordan.
Jordan had some of his most legendary battles with Dominique Wilkins in the Slam Dunk Contest in the late 1980s. Some of his in-game dunks made it seem as though he was floating off the ground. Jordan also had some legendary posters over some of the best shot blockers in NBA history, such as Alonzo Mourning, Patrick Ewing, and Dikembe Mutombo.
Last month, Bleacher Report ranked Jordan as the second-best dunker of all-time, only behind Vince Carter.
Will injuries cause Edwards to dunk less often?
Did Edwards intentionally place himself above Jordan as a better dunker to somewhat anger MJ’s fans? Maybe. Or maybe simply a playful jab from Edwards, as the two are known to have a good relationship.
One also has to wonder if Edwards might ease up on the dunking this season. Last year, his 48 dunks were a career low—although part of that was due to his playing in the fewest games of his career (61).
The 2020 first overall pick suffered injuries to both knees last season. Edwards was dealing with runner’s knee in his right knee and then suffered a bone bruise and knee hyperextension in his left knee during the opening round of the playoffs.
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