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 tremendous Monday for “making obscene gestures towards a sport official” throughout a 127-125 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. It is his fifth tremendous 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 tremendous was computerized.
Edwards’ first tremendous 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 tremendous and the second a $75K tremendous. Later within the month, Edwards obtained a tremendous 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 might have gotten extra for flipping off a ref than he would for flipping off the gang. Final yr, Edwards obtained a $40K tremendous for criticizing officers.
This ordinary line-stepping could also be a cause that Edwards is not universally embraced as the following face of the NBA. His electrifying play on the court docket 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 bunch of strangers and made homophobic feedback about them. He apologized, and final season, he additionally made a public apology after personal messages had been posted on-line that appeared to point out him urging a girl to have an abortion and sending her $100K as cost.
Edwards can afford the fines. He is within the first yr 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 would not communicate effectively for his self-discipline and maturity that he can not help himself from giving the ref a finger, understanding it is an computerized, pricey tremendous.
If Edwards actually desires to be acknowledged as a celebrity, with the eye and promotion that comes with it, he will have to point out much more maturity.
