Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves picked up an impressive road win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in a battle between teams at the top of the Western Conference standings. Edwards led the Wolves with 27 points in 40 minutes, but his comments after the game drew increased attention. In short, Edwards was not at all happy about the officiating, and he even said he would “take the fine” for his postgame remarks.
Ant Man: "Cheating ass refs!" pic.twitter.com/e0FknLgKgt
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) January 30, 2024
On Wednesday, Edwards was given a whopping $40,000 fine by the NBA for his comments and, when asked about the dollar figure on Thursday, he didn’t exactly run from what he said and the end result.
Anthony Edwards on his $40K fine for ripping refs: “I don’t care about it. S—, it needed to be said. Like I said, I’ll take the fine. I’m OK with it.”
The typical was higher than typical $25K. Ant: “Yeah, probably because I said they was cheating.” https://t.co/s2dckh3aGU
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 1, 2024
Edwards seemed to know it was coming even in the moment, so it surely was not a surprise that he was fined. The $40,000 figure did raise some eye-brows compared to the typical baseline for officiating criticism but, as Edwards noted, it was “probably because (he) said they was cheating.”
It helps, of course, that Edwards will begin a five-year max contract extension next season, so it isn’t as if a $40,000 deduction will change his financial picture. Edwards is also someone who certainly seems willing and eager to say what he thinks, for better or worse, and the candor endears him to many.
