The NBA’s number one draft pick of 2022, Anthony Edwards, got fined. He got fined $40,000 for making homophobic comments that he posted in an Instagram video earlier in September. In the video that is now deleted, but still on the internet, Anthony Edwards was seen rolling down his car window and calling a group of shirtless guys homophobic remarks. He also ended up saying, “Look what the world has come to, bruh.”  Anthony Edwards said he was “incredibly sorry” about what he said about those men. Also preceded by saying, “It’s unacceptable for me or anyone to use that language in such a harmful way. There’s no excuse for it. I was raised better than that” Edwards states in a Twitter apology. 

The Timberwolves, who selected Anthony Edwards as the number one pick in the 2020 NBA draft, released a statement about Anthony Edwards’s actions after the video began to spread throughout social media. They expressed how disappointed they were in the actions Anthony Edwards had displayed on social media. Tim Connelly said in a team statement that the Timberwolves are committed to being a welcoming organization for everyone and that he apologized for the offense it caused to many people. 

In the past, the NBA has handed out fines to players who used similar homophobic language. For example, Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets was fined 50,000 dollars in 2021 for using disrespectful and offensive language in some private messages to an actor named Micheal Rapoport. Another NBA player of the Chicago Bulls, Joakim Noah, was also given a fine of 50,000 dollars for using an anti-gay slur at a fan. 

Even though Anthony Edwards apologized by saying what he said was immature, hurtful, and disrespectful, in the interview, he had a smirk on his face. This can mean he wasn’t all that sorry in the first place. Even NBA players, Rajon Rondo and even Kobe Bryant were among the NBA players that have been disciplined, by the NBA league in the past for anti-gay language. Another example is Tim Hardaway. He said that he hates gay people and he lets that be known. He doesn’t like to be around gay people and admitted that he is homophobic. He thinks being gay shouldn’t be in the world or in the United States. This kept him from going to the Hall of Fame.