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)
Sports
Pirates star pitcher makes unfortunate history after being taken out in middle of perfect game bid
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Jared Jones was flirting with Major League Baseball history on Wednesday night — he got it, but it was not what he originally envisioned.
The Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher retired the first 18 batters he faced, but he was taken out in the middle of his perfect game bid after six innings.
Now, the Pirates certainly have their reasons — the 24-year-old Jones hasn’t thrown more than 81 pitches in eight starts since returning May 20 after missing all of last season while undergoing ulnar collateral ligament internal brace surgery on May 21, 2025. He was yanked with 77 pitches and likely would have needed more than 100 pitches to record the 25th perfect game in MLB history.
Jared Jones of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park on July 8, 2026, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
However, Jones left the game after getting zero run support, so when the Atlanta Braves tacked on three runs late for a 3-0 victory, Jones instead found himself in the wrong chapter of the history books.
According to Opta Stats, Jones became the first pitcher in the modern era (since 1920) to pitch at least six perfect innings and not record a win.
“It does suck. Something’s cool coming on, but I’m on what? My eighth start off of surgery? I completely understand it, and it is what it is,” Jones told reporters after the game.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones (17) makes his way to the field to warm up before pitching against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
JUSTIN VERLANDER ANNOUNCES HE WILL RETIRE AFTER THIS SEASON: ‘I’VE REALIZED THAT TIME HAS COME’
Jones said he didn’t entertain attempting to complete the perfect game.
“Not with the pitch count,” he said. “Not really ever expecting to go nine right now, so that was never in my head.”
Joey Bart, traded to the Braves from the Pirates on June 18, followed a double by Mike Yastrzemski with a 422-foot, two-run homer to left-center field off a slider from Dennis Santana. Drake Baldwin added an RBI single to center in the ninth for good measure.
It was the second time in less than a week that a pitcher was taken out of the game with a perfect bid through six innings — the Miami Marlins took Eury Perez out after seven innings in which he had 92 pitches. Perez, too, is in the midst of returning from injury and has surprisingly found himself right in the postseason mix.
He was pulled for Lake Bachar to start the eighth, and the Marlins allowed eight runs to the Athletics in the final two innings, but held on to win 9-8.
Jared Jones (17) of the Pittsburgh Pirates delivers a pitch during a MLB game against the Cincinnati Reds on June 27, 2026, at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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The Pirates are 4.0 games out of the final wild card spot, which is held by the Marlins.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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WASHINGTON — The Dodgers are scheduled to visit the White House on July 23 to celebrate their latest World Series title.
“President Trump is excited to welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers BACK to the White House to celebrate their World Series championship!,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in a statement to The Times.
The date falls on a scheduled off day in the middle of a nine-game East Coast road trip for the Dodgers. The team will play three games in Philadelphia against the Phillies July 20-22 before ending the trip with a three-game series against the New York Mets July 24 to 26.
The visit continues a tradition from the Dodgers’ two previous World Series championships. They were hosted by President Biden in 2021 and President Trump in April 2025.
After the Dodgers claimed their second consecutive World Series title with a dramatic Game 7 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays, a visit to the White House was planned, but it wasn’t until Thursday that a date was officially booked and confirmed.
Questions swirled around whether players would decline the visit this year after it did not happen during a scheduled visit to Washington in April.
Kiké Hernández said in 2018 he was unsure he would have gone had the Dodgers won the World Series the previous year. Mookie Betts said he was undecided and needed to talk it over with his family when last year’s visit was announced. After winning his first World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 2018, Betts skipped their trip to the White House the following year during Trump’s first term.
Both players, along with every returning member of the 2024 team who was with the team during its road trip, participated in the visit. The only notable absence was first baseman Freddie Freeman, who remained in Los Angeles to nurse an ankle injury.
Manager Dave Roberts, who indicated in comments to The Times in 2019 he might not go to the White House if Trump was president, also participated in last year’s ceremony.
Asked at the Dodgers’ fan festival in January about the possibility of returning to the White House, Roberts told The Times’ Bill Shaikin: “For me, I stand by: I’m a baseball manager. That’s my job.”
“I was raised — by a man who served our country for 30 years — to respect the highest office in our country,” Roberts said. “For me, it doesn’t matter who is in the office, I’m going to go to the White House. I’ve never tried to be political. … For me, I am going to continue to try to do what tradition says and not try to make political statements, because I am not a politician.”
Clayton Kershaw, who retired after last season but was on Team USA for this year’s World Baseball Classic, told The Times in the spring that he was aware Dodgers fans are split over whether the team should visit the White House again this year, but he said he is looking forward to it.
“I went when President Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”
Times deputy sports editor Ed Guzman contributed to this report.
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All eyes were on Caitlin Clark on Wednesday night as she made her anticipated return from injury in a road matchup in Los Angeles.
But instead of a triumphant comeback, the Fever spent the entire night chasing the Sparks as Clark’s rough return fueled a 106-92 rout.
The superstar never found a groove, looking completely out of sync in her return from a back injury.
STEPHANIE WHITE GIVES CAITLIN CLARK STATUS UPDATE AHEAD OF FEVER-SPARKS, BUT HER NEXT MOVE RAISES QUESTIONS
Caitlin Clark huddles with teammates as the Indiana Fever battle the Sparks. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) ((Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images))
Much of that disjointed performance falls squarely on head coach Stephanie White, who kept Clark on a ridiculously tight leash by limiting her to just 16 minutes. The stop-and-go approach could have sabotaged any chance for the phenom to establish a rhythm.
Clark finished with just 9 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Her minus-16 plus-minus told the story.
The Los Angeles Sparks were severely shorthanded, taking the floor without stars Kelsey Plum and Cameron Brink.
MERCURY’S NOW-DELETED SOCIAL MEDIA POST MOCKING CAITLIN CLARK DRAWS SCRUTINY AFTER STAR’S INJURY
Yet while a depleted Sparks roster played to win, Indiana spent the night over-managing its biggest asset.
With Clark on a minutes restriction and Aliyah Boston out of the lineup, Kelsey Mitchell was forced to shoulder the entire offensive burden.
Mitchell did her part, pouring in 29 points while shooting 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.
Caitlin Clark orchestrates the Fever offense as Indiana battles the Los Angeles Sparks in primetime action. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) ((Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images))
But one hot hand couldn’t stop an efficient LA squad.
The Sparks shot 45% from three-point range, going 9-of-20 from deep to cruise to the 106-92 victory.
White’s next move is to sit Clark against the Mercury on Thursday while Boston returns.
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After Wednesday’s loss to a shorthanded Sparks team, it’s fair to question whether Indiana’s cautious approach is working. The Fever dropped to 12-9.
Caitlin Clark and Dearica Hamby face off as Fever and Sparks battle at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. (Photo by Tyler Ross/NBAE via Getty Images) ((Photo by Tyler Ross/NBAE via Getty Images))
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela
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