Anthony Edwards is facing an automatic one-game suspension after being ejected in a 111-102 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Minnesota Timberwolves superstar picked up two technical fouls in Thursday’s game — taking him to 16 for the season.
GettyEdwards was furious with refs over a no-call[/caption]
That will lead to an automatic one-game suspension unless one of them gets rescinded upon review by NBA bosses.
“Whatever they’re gonna do, bruh,” Edwards told ESPN as he exited Crypto.com Arena briefly. “I don’t even know. They should [rescind the second technical].”
Edwards was rejected with 5:21 remaining in the third quarter after picking up a second technical complaining about a no-call. His first came after he and Lakers star Jarred Vanderbilt shoved each other early in the game.
The three-time All-Star fell after Lakers guard Gabe Vincent’s left foot clipped the back of his right leg.
Referee Brent Barnaky got an earful while the shooting guard was sitting on the floor.
“[Edwards] was issued his second unsportsmanlike technical foul for directing profanity towards a game official,” crew chief James Williams told a pool reporter.
As Edwards walked toward the tunnel, he drew a delay-of-game warning for tossing the ball into the crowd.
That is likely to lead to a $25,000 fine — the amount handed to Brooklyn Nets forward Nic Claxton in December and Victor Wembanyama last season for similar incidents.
Edwards has already racked up $285k in fines this season and is facing another bill from the league after breaking a promise to stop swearing.
On a hot mic, Edwards shouted, ‘Way to f****** hoop, y’all!’ after a record-breaking comeback over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.
GettyLeBron james starred in a Lakers victory[/caption]
Per ESPN Research, DeMarcus Cousins was the last player to reach 16 technical fouls before March in the 2016-17 campaign.
Edwards has four technicals in as many games since the All-Star Weekend.
“He’s gotta be better,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “He’s had too many outbursts.
“I think a lot of them are deserved. They’re going to miss some calls from time to time for sure, so he’s gotta be better. We’ve been talking to him about it, so it’s on him.”
Fans were in agreement with Finch.
“Ant Man’s passion is electric but 16 techs? Gotta channel that fire smarter,” one posted on X.
“He’s gotta keep his cool. He gets way too flustered,” added a second.
“Anthony Edwards plays with so much passion, but emotions got the best of him. This suspension could hurt the Wolves in a crucial game,” a third wrote.
“You gotta keep a cool head to play in the big leagues, the world is literally watching and you are a role model to people around the planet,” noted a fourth.
Edwards recently raised a few eyebrows when he admitted that he doesn’t want to be the ‘face of the NBA.’
His comments drew support from LeBron James after the Lakers’ win.
The 40-year-old insisted: “Channing Frye said it, ‘Why do you want to be the face of the league when all the people that cover our game and talk about our game on a day-to-day basis s*** on everybody?’”