On Sunday, the NBA announced that Anthony Edwards has been fined $100k for the use of profane language in the live television interview after the December 27 game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. This is Ant’s second major fine within a week.
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Friday’s game against the Rockets was a close one and the home side was leading 112-110 with less than 30 seconds to go. That’s when Ant received a pass from Nickeil Alexander-Walker as he set himself up for a corner three.
The 23-year-old nailed the heavily contested shot and ensured a one-point win for his team. In the aftermath of the thrilling win, Ant got on the microphone and said, “Man, all I knew was the play was for Ju [Julius Randle] to go 14, big-small pick and roll. Once he picked it up, who else? I gotta go get it. Sh*t. Nickeil found me, he cut me off. I’m like, ‘Sh*t, I’m goin’ for the win.’”
Ant gave a shoutout as well to former NBA star Gilbert Arenas and used his quote to explain his intention behind the final shot. He said, “Like Gilbert Arenas said, I don’t do overtime, so f**k it.”
This was deemed inappropriate by the league as Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President of the NBA, slapped the hefty fine on the 23-year-old.
Anthony Edwards was fined another $100k for his postgame comments after the Wolves win over the Rockets on Friday night.
That’s now up to $175k in fines this week. https://t.co/1Mh9tNEEX9 pic.twitter.com/sS5tdX1vOx
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) December 29, 2024
The official announcement stated the reason behind the fine as well. “The fine amount is based in part on Edwards’ history of using profane language during media interviews,” the NBA’s statement read. On December 21, when the Wolves lost 103-113 against the Golden State Warriors, Ant had criticized the officiating.
Due to his open criticism, he was issued a $75k fine by the league. So that makes his fine total $175k for just this week.
Ant was handed another major fine in November when he flipped off a fan in the first quarter during an NBA Cup game against the Sacramento Kings. The Wolves star had to pay $35k for “making an obscene gesture on the court.”
This brings Ant’s total to over $200k in the last two months. Now, it’s undeniable that he has been losing a lot of money over what seems to be a lack of media training. However, Ant is currently on a five-year, $244,623,120 contract with the Wolves. His salary for the 2024-25 season is $42,176,400. On top of that, he makes millions of dollars from several brand endorsements.
So, the $200k isn’t going to make a dent in his wallet. More importantly, Ant is a free-spirited person and these penalties are not likely to change his personality. He often drops a few bad words here and there and that’s just his way of expressing himself.
