A rollercoaster season for Anthony Edwards continues to go up and down. Last season, he was the darling of the entire NBA fandom, thanks to his explosive ability on the court, and his exceptional charisma off it. However, this year hasn’t fully gone according to plan.
While he’s been individually excellent, the Minnesota Timberwolves as a whole are struggling. Simultaneously, some of his comments haven’t gone over well with fans, and his latest interaction with the fans in attendance in Houston might not win him any favors either.
Anthony Edwards Gets Into It With Fans Against the Houston Rockets
Edwards was on his way to having a historic evening at the Toyota Center in Houston. Through the first half, he was already at a career-high for points in a half with 25 as a close matchup had the Rockets leading 68-67.
Throughout the game, Edwards was constantly jawing with fan on the near side of the stands. But it was as he was heading off to the locker room in the break, that another incident piled on. As the cameras were tracing him walking back, he stopped, turned around, and started arguing with another fan in attendance.
Ant was jawing with a fan in Houston going into halftime and a Timberwolves coach had to hold him back. pic.twitter.com/mBgWX1dQoG
— ESPN (@espn) February 22, 2025
Michael Grady and Jim Peteresen were on the call and they remarked how Edwards had been going at it with fans all evening. In the end, an assistant coach for Minnesota had to restrain the dynamic shooting guard, while local PD stepped in to avoid further escalation.
Just a week ago, Edwards was unfavourably in the news for flat-out refusing to entertain becoming the next face of the league. With retirement fast approaching for the likes of LeBron James and Stephen Curry, many pegged an American-born superstar like Ant-Man, with the personality to boot, to take over.
However, speaking to Dave McMenamin during All-Star break, he was against the idea. “Not really. That’s what they’ve got Wemby [Victor Wembanyama] for.” Those quotes didn’t land favorably with the NBA fanbase, and now another incident in Houston might make the situation worse.
It is another in a long line of missteps by Edwards, who has now been fined $285,000 for his antics. Whether it was crude gestures, or calling out game officials, his activities haven’t gone unnoticed by the league.
It remains to be seen if this adds to his penalty total. But, it isn’t the first time Edwards has been fired up against this Houston Rockets team.
The Brewing Rivalary Between Houston and Anthony Edwards
There are a ton of similarities between this Rockets team and the Minnesota squad that made the Conference Finals last season. A strong defense with some excellent coaching, and a team offense led by a dynamic guard and skilled center, Houston might very well be a replica of last year’s Timberwolves.
Even on this night, it was a duel between Edwards and his counterpart Jalen Green, who had 35 to rival the three-time All-Star’s 37, while shooting 12-of-24 from the field and 5-of-11 from the arc.
However, the rivalry between the two sides has gone beyond the on-court intensity. During their previous matchup, the outspoken Edwards went after the entire Rockets team on the sideline, mouthing off as Minnesota blew them out by 13.
He even danced at center court, in what seemed to be a direct line of mocking Dillon Brooks.
During the game, Edwards took a hard tumble to the floor, thanks to an errant hit to the face by Brooks. Both players got into it and even shoved each other. After the game, he didn’t hold back and called out the former Memphis Grizzlies star’s actions.
“Everybody know how Dillon Brooks is, man. He play dirty. He’s a competitor. I love the competing part, but all the slick little dirty s—.”
It looks like the rivalry between the two sides might continue to foster itself. Whether it leads to a heated battle in the playoffs is the real question. If it does, we’ll all be ready for some fireworks.
