MINNEAPOLIS — Anthony Edwards said he is “willing to do whatever it takes to make it right” with the LGBTQ community and Minnesota Timberwolves fans following the anti-gay remarks he recently made on social media.
Addressing reporters at Timberwolves media day on Monday, his first public appearance since the NBA fined him $40,000 for his now-deleted video clip on Instagram, Edwards apologized again for the disparaging, profane comment he made about what he assumed to be the sexual orientation of a group of men he filmed on a sidewalk outside a vehicle he was riding in.
“Man, I respect everybody. I know what I posted was immature, and I’m sorry for that if I hurt anyone,” Edwards said. “I’m working to be better.”
Edwards said he would be OK having a gay teammate if someone came out and would try to clamp down on homophobic language in a locker room if he heard it.
“For sure. I’m taking it as far as I can. That’s not who I am,” Edwards said.
After ranking 19th in the league with an average of 21.3 points per game last season and helping lead the Timberwolves back to the playoffs, Edwards in his second year flourished into a true star and fan favorite who consistently brought a youthful energy and a charming confidence to the court and off of it.
Following the trouble he stirred up earlier this month, Edwards found himself in the strange and sudden position of being an unpopular figure.
“It’s kind of messed up, because I want people to love me, man. I don’t want to give nobody a reason to hate me or talk bad about me, so I felt bad for myself and for what I said about people, for sure,” said the 21-year-old Edwards, who was the first overall pick in the 2020 draft.
Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly and coach Chris Finch both had stern conversations with Edwards after the social media post.
“It just makes me think before I do everything now, pretty much,” Edwards said.
Connelly offered his input on the matter.
“He’s disappointed in his own actions,” Connelly said. “He’s disappointed that he put himself in that position, and hopefully, he’ll continue to grow, and we’ll continue to educate these guys on the importance of being really positive community members and respectful of all people that we’re lucky enough to have in our community.”