On Monday, the Minnesota Timberwolves handed a 119-114 defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers after a hard-fought battle, avoiding a third straight loss to stay atop the Western Conference standings. The game got off to a bizarre start, as the Timberwolves fielded Nickeil Alexander-Walker instead of star guard Anthony Edwards, prompting speculation that he had suffered a late injury or had a personal matter to tend to.
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However, the situation got peculiar as a few minutes after tip-off, Edwards rushed to the scorer’s table, waiting to be subbed into the contest. He finally entered the contest after missing about four minutes of game time. The odd incident sparked speculation that the Timberwolves guard had a bathroom emergency but was too embarrassed to admit it. Post-game, Edwards claimed he lost track of time while going through his warm-up rituals. However, former NBA stars Chandler Parsons and Lou Williams shot down the excuse.
On the Run It Back podcast, Parsons explained why he didn’t believe Edwards, saying,
“[His reason] doesn’t make sense because each player is assigned a trainer or a coach. Your guy that you do your pre-game ritual or thing with. So this doesn’t really check out.”
Williams was blunter and agreed with the consensus on the topic. He said,
“He (Anthony Edwards) was taking a dump!”
Answering nature’s call is nothing to be ashamed of, but losing a 263-game streak of starting games due to poor bowel movement is amusing. The Timberwolves star vehemently denies that he was in the washroom while the game commenced, but few are buying his excuse.
Anthony Edwards explains his absence at tip-off against the Trail Blazers
When Anthony Edwards wasn’t on the court before the Timberwolves tipped off against the Trail Blazers, the first thought was that he had left the stadium and hurried back home like he did last week at halftime during Minnesota’s game against the Sacramento Kings. He left midway to attend the birth of his first child with his girlfriend Jeanine Robel.
However, Edwards surprisingly appeared at the scorer’s table moments after the game commenced, prompting the theory that he had a washroom emergency. The Timberwolves guard could’ve shut down the rumors post-game with a proper explanation, but he did not provide an elaborate answer and said,
“I lost track of time.”
As Chandler Parsons explained, Edwards’ excuse isn’t plausible. Teams enter the court together well before tip-off and if he was at risk of missing it due to his pre-game ritual, a coaching or training staff member would’ve rushed to the back and asked him to get through it quickly. Only Edwards and the Timberwolves know why he missed the first four minutes and it seems they aren’t willing to divulge the information.
