After a slow start to the series in Game 1, Anthony Edwards lamented his lack of assertiveness on the offensive end against the relentless pressure of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s defense.
Edwards, seated at the podium alongside Julius Randle, stared at the box score and couldn’t believe what he saw. “I definitely gotta shoot more,” Edwards said. “I only took 13 f—ing shots.” It was a fairly innocuous quote with the target of his frustration being himself, but his latest slip with profanity cost him yet another $50,000 from the league — bringing his running tally on the season up to $420,000 in fines.
With his bank account suddenly $50,000 lighter, Edwards made good on his promise to shoot more in Game 2, doubling his attempt total from Game 1 by going 12-for-26 and scoring 32 points to lead the Timberwolves in scoring. It wasn’t enough as the Thunder once again overwhelmed the Wolves in a 118-103 win to go up 2-0 as the series shifts to Minnesota.
After the game, a number of players on Minnesota’s side spoke, but not Edwards, who declined to comment after the loss in an effort to avoid another fine. It was an understandable reaction from Edwards, who now finds himself in a position where there likely will be no winners, including the NBA.
Part of what makes people gravitate towards Edwards is his raw authenticity. He is incapable of being anyone but himself at all times — for better and worse — and in a sea of overly polished star athletes it makes him stand out in a significant way.
Profanity for Edwards, like it is for many people, is simply part of how he speaks, and the league is making it abundantly clear that he needs to change. What’s unfortunate is the change that is coming will not simply be Edwards censoring himself from cursing, but censoring himself from offering his legitimate thoughts and feelings after a game.
In a media ecosystem starved of athletes who offer real insight and pull back the curtain to reveal their real emotions and thoughts rather than spout cliches, losing one of the few stars that will do that would be a significant blow to the league. Fines for dropping an F-bomb in an on-court TV interview are understandable, but demanding Edwards keep it PG in the locker room or even at the podium is just going to result in him trying to get canned answers out because his natural impulse when speaking freely is to use colorful — and yes, profane — language.
That is the case for an awful lot of people and if the profanity isn’t directed at someone in particular, it is hard to see why the NBA views this as such a significant problem. Edwards isn’t going to change, he’s just going to shut off that access in these settings, and in that scenario everyone — Edwards, fans, media and the NBA — loses.
