Anthony Edwards has been racking up massive stats this season for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He is additionally racking up over 1 / 4 of one million {dollars} in fines.
Edwards drew a $50K effective Monday for “making obscene gestures towards a recreation official” throughout a 127-125 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. It is his fifth effective from the league this season for a complete of $285K because the NBA season nears the midway mark.
This time, Edwards’ offense was blatant. After receiving a questionable technical foul for celebrating a dunk from the bench, Edwards prolonged a center finger towards the officers. The technical foul name was brutal, however the effective was computerized.
Edwards’ first effective of the season for obscene gestures stemmed from a Nov. 15 motion that was directed on the followers in Sacramento. Throughout December, he was fined for utilizing profane language and for criticizing officers after video games towards the Golden State Warriors, with the primary incident drawing a $25K effective and the second a $75K effective. Later within the month, Edwards obtained a effective for $100K for profane language in a postgame interview, this time after a win towards the Houston Rockets.
The NBA typically escalates the worth of fines for repeated infractions. This most up-to-date obscene gesture price Edwards $15K greater than his first one, though he could have gotten extra for flipping off a ref than he would for flipping off the gang. Final 12 months, Edwards obtained a $40K effective for criticizing officers.
This ordinary line-stepping could also be a purpose that Edwards is not universally embraced as the subsequent face of the NBA. His electrifying play on the courtroom and his competitiveness are very interesting, however his self-control is missing.
In 2022, the NBA fined Edwards $40K after he posted a video to his Instagram the place he filmed a gaggle of strangers and made homophobic feedback about them. He apologized, and final season, he additionally made a public apology after non-public messages had been posted on-line that appeared to indicate him urging a girl to have an abortion and sending her $100K as cost.
Edwards can afford the fines. He is within the first 12 months of a five-year contract that pays him $42.2M this season, so these fines replicate a really small a part of his wage. However it does not converse properly for his self-discipline and maturity that he can not help himself from giving the ref a finger, figuring out it is an computerized, pricey effective.
If Edwards actually desires to be acknowledged as a famous person, with the eye and promotion that comes with it, he will have to indicate much more maturity.
