Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony Edwards' fine highlights NBA's homophobia problems

By Sean Keane | Last updated 9/21/22

The NBA on Tuesday fined Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards $40,000 for anti-gay comments he made in an Instagram story. Edwards apologized last week after the backlash, saying his comments were "immature, hurtful, and disrespectful."

What I said was immature, hurtful, and disrespectful, and I’m incredibly sorry. It’s unacceptable for me or anyone to use that language in such a hurtful way, there’s no excuse for it, at all. I was raised better than that!
— Anthony Edwards (@theantedwards_) September 11, 2022

The reaction to the fine showed the NBA has a long way to go when it comes to tolerance of the LGBTQ+ community. Denver Nuggets forward and perpetual dunk contest also-ran Aaron Gordon reacted with three thumbs-down emojis to news of the fine in a tweet that has since been deleted. Regardless of what Gordon's intent may have been, his response sends the message that anti-LGBTQ+ slurs are fine with him.

Former player Jason Collins publicly came out as gay back in 2013 and later became the first openly gay NBA player when the Brooklyn Nets signed him to finish out the 2013-14 season. The NBA has still had recurring problems with players using anti-gay language. In 2011, Kobe Bryant was fined $100,000 for directing a homophobic slur toward a referee. Rajon Rondo was suspended for a game for delivering a tirade of anti-gay slurs at referee Bill Kennedy, who subsequently publicly revealed he was gay.

There's been progress, such as the Warriors' former president Rick Welts, the first openly gay executive in the four major U.S. professional sports, but as Edwards' video and Gordon's reaction reveal, the NBA still has a long way to go when it comes to tolerance for everyone.

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