"Nikola Jokic was fined $25,000 for saying, 'no homo'", "league's about to count every individual word as an 'incident'" - Fans react to Anthony Edwards' recent homophobic comments

Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards has been at the center of a controversy over the homophobic language he used in a recent Instagram story. In the since-deleted story, Edwards made a joke about a group of men that he was recording from his car.

“Look at these queer a** n***ers,” Edwards can be heard saying as a voice laughs in the background.

Anthony Edwards is wild for this man 😭 https://t.co/ccSkkDfe1E

Edwards has since apologized for his comments on Twitter:

What I said was immature, hurtful, and disrespectful, and I’m incredibly sorry. It’s unacceptable for me or anyone to use that language in such a hurtful way, there’s no excuse for it, at all. I was raised better than that!

The Minnesota Timberwolves organization offered up their own apology as well, with team President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly saying in a statement:

“We are disappointed in the language and actions Anthony Edwards displayed on social media.”

“The Timberwolves are committed to being an inclusive and welcoming organization for all and apologize for the offense this has caused to so many.”

Meanwhile, the NBA said they are still reviewing the incident.

Anthony Edwards is only entering his third season in the NBA but he’s already eastablished himself due to his strong, outgoing personality and overall confidence. This has made Edwards a fan favorite around the league.

Unfortunately, this time Edwards’ lack of filter has gotten him into trouble. Some fans have argued that Edwards deserves to be fined for his comments based on the NBA’s precedent in dealing with similar incidents. However, other fans have come to Edwards’ defense.

One fan wrote:

“If Nikola Jokic was fined $25,000 for saying ‘No homo’, I would imagine there will be some sort of discipline here”

Another fan replied:

“League's about to count every individual word as an ‘incident.’”

Here are some more reactions to the incident:

Anthony Edwards talking to the Timberwolves staff 😭 https://t.co/IqrqUSe1g6

Anthony Edwards after the NBA forces him to make an apology statement https://t.co/SqSW56Pe0E

So Anthony Edwards saw a group of gay men simply minding their business and that bothered him enough to make a video and post it on social media and that’s not homophobia to y’all? Smh

anthony edwards when he seen them gay people https://t.co/KL6Y7eseNV

@theantedwards_ lgbtq nba fans when they saw Anthony Edwards story… https://t.co/sQnY2NC0M0

Anthony Edwards when he sees a gay person 😭 https://t.co/IbsKFe6fvU

I am not impressed by the Anthony Edwards apology. That's what he's supposed to say. Also not focused on his youth. Kids know better. I want to see him do the hard part: dig into his life and figure out where all that comes from and then do the work to address it. That is growth.

Need Anthony Edwards thoughts on this twitter.com/eurobasket/sta…

The crazy thing to me is that Anthony Edwards took the time to roll his window down and film gay people EXISTING when he simply could have just minded his own business! https://t.co/086TTjO1uY

anthony edwards' social media manager coming into work tomorrow

https://t.co/efbqEmZm4X

Anthony Edwards a weirdo for this, imagine caring about another dude being gay 😂😂😂 twitter.com/PGSupremacy/st…

I love Anthony Edwards even more now😭😭 https://t.co/XILdbphQny

Adam Silver to Anthony Edwards after his ig story https://t.co/yw8zrt1MR9

@theantedwards_ Anthony Edwards and his PR manager 😭 https://t.co/lHw73qM4gr

anthony edwards’ lawyer when he says out of pocket shit vs. ja morant’s lawyer when he says out of pocket shit https://t.co/ZK5gCQCjSs

Anthony Edwards gearing up for a potential breakout season in 2023

Los Angeles Clippers v Minnesota Timberwolves

Despite what you think of Anthony Edwards’ off-court antics, there’s still no denying his on-court talent.

Edwards is coming off an impressive sophomore season where he averaged 21.3 points per game on 44.1 percent shooting from the field.

He also helped the Timberwolves make the playoffs for just the second time since 2005. However, many are still expecting him to break out even further and up his scoring average to over 25 points per game.

There have also been increased expectations surrounding the Timberwolves as a team since they acquired All-Star center Rudy Gobert in a trade earlier this summer.

Edwards talked about these increased expectations in a recent conversation with The Athletic, stating:

“I’ve been working on everything, man. Just getting better. I’m trying to take that leap this year and be the best player I can be. Trying to take my team as far as we can.”

If Edwards is indeed ready to take another leap, he could be an intriguing candidate for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award next season. The Timberwolves will also be in line to win their first playoff series since 2004.

Ant putting in that work this summer at The O‼️@theantedwards_ (via @GRSportsMedia) https://t.co/ZC0j68JCoc