Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards apologizes for using homophobic slur

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards apologized Sunday for homophobic comments he made during an Instagram story that has since been deleted. 

In the story, which had been posted over the weekend, Edwards, 22, used homophobic slurs to describe a group of shirtless men who were standing next to a building. Edwards was apparently shooting the video from the driver's side of a car, with the window rolled down. 

"What I said was immature, hurtful, and disrespectful, and I’m incredibly sorry," Edwards wrote Sunday in a tweet posted to his verified account. "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!"

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Edwards was the No. 1 overall selection in the 2020 NBA draft. Over his two seasons in Minnesota, Edwards averaged 20.3 points per game on 42.9% shooting, with 4.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists.

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"We are disappointed in the language and actions Anthony Edwards displayed on social media," Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said Monday in a statement issued by the team. "The Timberwolves are committed to being an inclusive and welcoming organization for all and apologize for the offense this has caused to so many."

Edwards is likely to face a fine from the league and possibly from the Timberwolves. 

In April 2021, the NBA fined Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant $50,000 after comedian Michael Rapaport posted a private social media exchange between him and Durant that revealed Durant’s use of personal insults, homophobic slurs and profanity. Durant later apologized. 

The NBA had also previously fined Kobe Bryant and Rajon Rondo for similar uses of homophobic language.