Sports
Thompson: Anthony Edwards is looking a lot like Michael Jordan these days
With the Denver Nuggets on the ropes, their home crowd seized with panic, Anthony Edwards took his time as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — a champion and one of the league’s best on-ball defenders — shadowed his every move. With help defenders lurking, Edwards pointed for Minnesota Timberwolves teammate Karl-Anthony Towns to cross to the weak side.
Edwards and KCP are friends, fellow roses bloomed from the red clay of Georgia. Their closeness is the context for the scene that followed. There was 1:40 on the clock when Towns vacated. Minnesota was up nine in the fourth quarter. And Edwards was being intentional about, as he said, trying to “kill everything in front of me.” Homies included. Once he got Caldwell-Pope on his back, and room to work on the left wing, his dribble changed. It had a rhythm as he backed down the Nuggets’ best defender with baby steps. Bounce. One-two. Bounce. One-two. Bounce. One-two. But instead of the next bounce, Edwards spun back toward the baseline. His fluid pivot allowed him to lift off smoothly.
Caldwell-Pope has an inch on Edwards, per NBA data. But at the release of the shot, Edwards was a towering figure over his Nuggets counterpart. Edwards’ turnaround, fade-away jumper splashed, Denver was cooked for Game 1 and we all had a moment to marvel.
THAT F Æ D E A W A Y THOOOOOO 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/iKsU035uMm
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 5, 2024
“I’m not saying who, Reg,” Jamal Crawford, NBA legend in his own right, said to broadcast partner and Hall of Famer Reggie Miller on TNT. “But it looks kiiiiiinda familiar. Late game, takeover in the mid-post, fade-away style.”
“Say who Jamal,” Miller replied. “What you talkin’ ‘bout?”
“I’m getting there, Reg. I’m getting there.”
Anthony Edwards is just Michael Jordan with a 4K highlight reel pic.twitter.com/KSoU5nlkAN
— Tony Clements (@TonyCMKE) May 5, 2024
We’re there. We’ve seen enough. That’s it. We need — in the same room, ASAP — Michael Jordan, Anthony Edwards and Maury Povich with a sealed envelope.
We’ve got to know.
In the era of touch fouls and 3-pointers, who choreographs a soaring fadeaway jumper as the signature of his 43-point performance? Unless you’re the long-lost son of the GOAT and don’t even know it.
In all seriousness, before hyperbolic jokes trend offensive, let’s be clear. Edwards’ biological father is Roger Caruth and his mother is Yvette Edwards. Pops wasn’t around. His mother tragically died from cancer in January 2015, when he was 14. His grandmother died seven months later from cancer. During the most critical times of his development, his older siblings, Antoine and Antionette, were his father figures.
He didn’t switch to No. 5 this season as a subliminal claim as Jordan’s heir (though 2+3 = 5 all day). He did it to honor his late mother and grandmother, both of whom reportedly died on the fifth day of the month.
So, it must be acknowledged, he has a family. One that’s poured all it has into him, molding the foundation of the Goliathan figure we’re witnessing emerge.
Still, the resemblance is uncanny. The way the wristband sits below his left elbow and his left calf is covered. Just like Jordan. The way each step has a little bounce to it, and how he glides when he’s in the air. Just like Jordan. The brashness of his facade, and how he smiles in moments and at his opponents with a certainty he has yet to earn.
Remember Game 4 against Phoenix? He punctuated his career night, and the series sweep, by taking off for a “Kiss the Rim” dunk over Kevin Durant. You just know, wherever they were, Alonzo Mourning, Patrick Ewing, Sam Perkins and many others randomly ducked out of nowhere.
ANTHONY EDWARDS ARE YOU SERIOUS 🤯🤯🤯
WOLVES UP 4 WITH 2 MINUTES REMAINING ON TNT pic.twitter.com/P1DX4w8Cj4
— NBA (@NBA) April 29, 2024
In his last two playoff games, Edwards has scored 40 points and then a career-high 43. Both produced a Jordan-esque moment to get the zeitgeist percolating.
For some, the comparison is sacrilege. Jordan is a basketball deity whose name should never be used in vain. Comparisons to His Airness can only be sparked by the most miraculous basketball performances. Or, “until I see him drop 63 in the Garden …” as my colleague, Hall of Famer David Aldridge, who watched Jordan live, says repeatedly on our Hoops Adjacent podcast, referencing Jordan’s huge night in a 1986 first-round game in Boston.
The sentiment is legit. Count me among that legion. I’m a dedicated Jordan sentimentalist who regards my youthful memories of his “Come Fly With Me” days as spiritual experiences. But, to borrow from the wisdom of Maya Angelou, when people show you who they really are, believe them.
I began seeing the light in 2021 when he told Stephen Curry to his face he was going for 50. Who does that? Unless …
No, Ant hasn’t yet had that all-time-great performance, not one jaw-dropping enough to conjure Jordan comparisons. But he’s got time. He’s only 22. Jordan was 23 when he torched the Celtics.
And, at this current rate, Edwards could be dancing on the Boston parquet in about a month. Because the Nuggets, the defending champions, are in trouble. Minnesota is a problem. Mostly because Edwards is good enough to match Nikola Jokić. He’s looking as unsolvable for his opponent as Jokić is — which gives the advantage to the Timberwolves’ other weapons and depth.
As it stands right now: Only two players 22 or younger have scored 40 or more in consecutive playoff games — Edwards and Kobe Bryant, the original Michael Jordan heir.
Side note: Michael Jordan’s first back-to-back games with at least 40 came when he was 23. He scored 49 in Game 1 at Boston then 63 in Game 2. I know that doesn’t help my argument.
But the Edwards-Jordan correlation isn’t quite about ability as much as similarity. It’s less a comparison of substance and more one of style. The urban myth that Edwards is Jordan’s long-lost son is but a nod to the sense of déjà vu when watching him. A reminder of Jordan’s transcendence and the sustainability of his aura. Maybe even a mirage crafted by our hopes to see such a figure again.
He looks like Jordan. He moves like Jordan. He talks that talk like Jordan.
“I love that guy, man,” Edwards said of Kevin Durant, his favorite player growing up, after eliminating the Suns. “I’m excited to play with him this summer, man. Talk a little trash. Let him know I sent him home.”
He’s elevated a lowly franchise like Jordan. He infuses his ethos into his teammates like Jordan. He’s must-see TV like Jordan. Increasingly, he’s leaving opponents in his wake like Jordan. He’s controlling games late, bending the floor and the defense to his will, like Jordan.
This summer, he’s going to Paris to play on what many are calling the greatest USA men’s basketball collection since the Dream Team in 1992. Back then, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were the incumbent superstars. But when they left, Michael Jordan had the throne.
This time, Durant, LeBron James and Steph Curry go as the old guard. Who are you expecting to come home with a gold medal and the crown as America’s basketball king?
Go ahead, say who. You’ll get there too.
GO DEEPER
Wolves-Nuggets opener shows Minnesota was built to stop Jokić
(Photo of Anthony Edwards: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)
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Football fans are airing their frustrations about the continuing rise in the costs of watching the NFL.
As the league has continued to strike new media deals with different streaming services, fans are left scrambling to figure out not only which channel or streaming service the game is on, but also whether they subscribe to that service. OutKick’s Davey Hudson took to the streets of Nashville and New York City to talk to aggrieved football fans.
“I think it’s frustrating when you just want to watch a game, and you have to figure out what app it’s on. And then you’re paying for multiple apps all the time,” one fan said.
New England Patriots fans look upset as the Patriots lose in the second half of an NFL game against the Chicago Bears at Gillette Stadium in Boston, Massachusetts, on Oct. 24, 2022. (Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
Another fan was blunt, calling the current system of watching games “f—ing stupid.”
“Well, it’s f—king stupid, you have to get five different platforms to watch all of the games that you want to, and still you have to pay on top. It’s ridiculous at this point,” the fan said.
One fan called it a “pain in the a–” to keep track of where and when the games are being streamed.
A different fan called it a “money grab,” citing Netflix as the latest streaming service the NFL brought in to start broadcasting its games.
One fan, who said he is a New York Jets season ticket holder and has the NFL package, lamented that he still does not have access to every game.
FCC TAKES NOTICE AS AMERICA’S MOST POPULAR SPORT BECOMES INCREASINGLY COSTLY, FRUSTRATING TO CONSUME
NFL fans walk outside the Super Bowl Experience at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California, on Feb. 6, 2026. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
“I can’t tell you how frustrating it is when I feel like I have every service, I have Jets season tickets, I have the NFL package, and then there is still games on top of that that I don’t have access to. It gets very frustrating,” the fan said.
Multiple fans said they pay for at least three, if not four streaming services. Numerous other fans said they pay for five or six different services at this point.
The fan who called the current system “f—king stupid,” said that she thinks that the NFL is taking the long way around to returning to satellite TV.
“Well, I think what’s actually going to happen is we are just taking the long way around going back to like satellite TV, and we are in the last stages of this part of it. It’s all going to conglomerate at one point,” she said.
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Denver Broncos fans cheer during a game against the New England Patriots in the fourth quarter of the Patriots’ 10-7 win in the AFC Championship Game at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado, on Jan. 25, 2026. (Aaron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post/Getty Images)
NFL fans who want access to every game need to purchase YouTube TV for “NFL Sunday Ticket,” in addition to the costly subscriptions for all the streaming services the NFL broadcasts on. Those streaming services are Amazon Prime, Peacock and Netflix. The combination of those respective services is over $1,500 a year, and that doesn’t include the fees that come with basic cable packages or high-speed Wi-Fi that is needed to accommodate the platforms.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr said he was concerned that the rising prices of streaming games are maddening for sports fans, and it appears his concerns are valid.
Fox News’ Brian Flood contributed to this report.
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Sports
Tom Brady’s calculated trash talk connects WrestleMania to Fanatics Flag Football to Las Vegas
Fake is the operative word. Tom Brady’s beef with Logan Paul, Paul’s beef with Rob Gronkowski and Brady’s beef with World Wrestling Entertainment all are as fake as plant-based meat.
It’s also so much fun.
That’s the consensus opinion of fans and participants alike to the promotional shenanigans ahead of this weekend’s Fanatics Flag Football Classic at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles and next month’s WWE WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Brady used the word himself, calling wrestling “fake B.S.” Wednesday night at the Flag Football Classic draft at a Beverly Hills hotel. The comments came shortly after Brady went on Paul’s “Impaulsive” podcast and told the WWE star in no uncertain terms that he was not on the same athletic level as NFL players.
Paul took exception, pointing out that he played linebacker in high school. He is on the flag football roster of Team Wildcats alongside NFL quarterbacks and captains Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels, so inquiring minds can evaluate Paul’s gridiron bona fides during the three-team flag fun televised at 1 p.m. PDT Sunday on Fox Sports.
In addition to Team Wildcats, the inaugural flag football event features a team led by Brady and Jalen Hurts called Founders and another consisting of the U.S. men’s national flag football roster.
In promoting the venture, Brady poked the enormously popular WWE organization, telling Paul, “You know, I love WWE. It’s very cute. But honestly, this is like real football. This is just real competition.
“I’m glad you’re going to be there and finally participate in a competition that matters.”
Brady upped the ante after Sports Illustrated playfully asked how many WWE wrestlers it would take to sack him.
“They wouldn’t even get near me,” he replied. “Plus, if I had a good offensive line, they’d punch those guys right in the throat and they’d probably be crying.”
All a deft segue to WrestleMania 42, which many followers suspect is positioning Brady to be some sort of scripted villain during the WWE’s annual five-day extravaganza. Last year WrestleMania 41 attracted more than 100,000 fans to Allegiant Stadium, generating roughly $65 million in ticket revenue and reaching a global audience with more than a billion social media views.
Adding the greatest quarterback of all time would only boost those numbers. Introducing a surprise antagonist has long been a key ingredient of the WWE recipe, and at this point Brady surfacing is all but expected.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion has morphed into a glue guy, whose employment as a Fox Sports NFL television analyst, part owner of the Las Vegas Raiders and key partner with Fanatics binds him with almost every major stakeholder in the Flag Football Classic and WrestleMania 42. Every stakeholder except the WWE.
That gives Brady license to take good-natured shots at wrestling for now and positions him to become a high-profile heel at WrestleMania 42.
It’s no coincidence that both events are in partnership with Fanatics, the outfit that has grown from designing and manufacturing licensed fan gear into a ubiquitous global digital sports platform and e-commerce company.
That leaves only the feigned feud between Paul and Gronkowski — Brady’s longtime pal and New England Patriots teammate. It started when Gronkowski labeled Paul a “flake” on a podcast a few days ago after Paul made a $1-million boxing challenge to NFL players and subsequently backed out of a fight with former running back Le’Veon Bell.
The tongue-in-cheek beef culminated in a verbal volley at the flag football draft with Gronkowski jawing at Paul while balancing a paper plate stacked with hors d’oeuvres and Paul shouting back over the head of 5-foot-5 comedian Kevin Hart, who somehow found himself in the role of peacemaker.
“No one can tackle me. So if Logan Paul wants a piece of me, I’m down to throw it down on the field and even throw my fist and just go at it, an all-out brawl on the flag football field,” Gronkowski said with an impish grin.
Crazy how Fanatics posted a video of the exchange so quickly. It had racked up 250,000 views as of Friday morning. Just Gronkowski and Paul following Brady’s lead, knowing their job descriptions include promotion as well as performance.
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Venezuela defeated Team USA, 3-2, in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) final Tuesday, and the game was historic in more ways than one.
Venezuela won its first-ever WBC title, and players flooded the field with emotion and pride as they celebrated the thrilling victory.
History was also made during the telecast when 10,784,000 viewers watched the final on FOX and FOX Deportes.
It became the most-watched WBC telecast of all time.
Fox Sports broadcaster Tom Verducci interviews MVP Maikel Garcia of Venezuela and his translator after a 3-2 victory against the United States at loanDepot Park March 17, 2026, in Miami, Fla. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
The telecast averaged 10,228,000 viewers, while hitting its peak at 12,148,000 from 10:30-10:45 p.m. ET on FOX.
This number was up 128% from the Team USA-Japan WBC final on FS1 during the 2023 tournament, when Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout to seal a third WBC win for his country.
TRUMP RAISES EYEBROWS WITH ‘STATEHOOD’ COMMENT AFTER VENEZUELA BEATS THE US IN WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC
While this game had all the thrills, the WBC turned out to be an exciting tournament from the very start with pool play.
Whether it was feel-good stories like Ondřej Satoria’s standing ovation from Japanese fans at the Tokyo Dome during his final outing for Czechia or Italy’s espresso machine home run celebration, viewers from all over were tuning in to watch magic happen on the diamond.
Fox Sports broadcaster Tom Verducci interviews manager Omar López Team Venezuela after a 3-2 victory against the United States at loanDepot park March 17, 2026, in Miami, Fla. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
The tournament averaged 1,294,000 viewers across FOX, FS1 and FS2, making it the most-watched WBC in its 20-year history on English language networks.
It looked like Venezuela was going to shut out Team USA, which had just two hits and four base runners in the bottom of the eighth inning when Bryce Harper walked to the plate.
The game turned on its head when Harper belted a two-run homer to tie the game during the peak viewing window.
Venezuela, though, never blinked. Eugenio Suarez hit a rope to left-center field, scoring the game-winning run with a double.
Members of Team Venezuela celebrate with their gold medals after defeating the United States 3-2 at loanDepot Park March 17, 2026, in Miami, Fla. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Daniel Palencia closed things out for Venezuela, sealing the win with a strikeout of Roman Anthony. The party ensued for Venezuela at loanDepot Park.
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