While Anthony Edwards put up good numbers in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals on Thursday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves found themselves on the wrong end of a 118-103 final score and now trail the series 2-0 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Following the game, he didn’t talk to the media.
Jon Krawczynski, who covers the Timberwolves for The Athletic, reported that Edwards didn’t talk to the press after the game.
“Anthony Edwards declined to speak to the media tonight after being fined $50K for a rather innocuous F-bomb the other night,” Krawczynski shared on X.
Athletes skipping media sessions has become a talking point in recent weeks. Golfer Rory McIlroy has skipped several media sessions. Most recently, he didn’t talk to reporters following any of his four rounds at the PGA Championship. Though, as he had previously mentioned, that is not a requirement for golfers like it is for athletes in many team sports.
Edwards is also not the first NBA star to skip talking to the media after a game this postseason. After the Indiana Pacers lost Game 2 of their second-round series to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Tyrese Haliburton elected not to talk to reporters.
Though, as Krawczynski noted, Edwards got into trouble for what he said while talking to reporters after Game 1. Edwards had a relatively quiet night in Minnesota’s Game 1 loss, scoring only 18 points on 13 shots from the field.
Following the game, critiquing his own performance, Edwards noted, “I guess I gotta shot more. I only took 13 f*cking shots,” for which he was fined.
Including the Game 1 fine, Edwards has accrued $430,000 in fines during the season. That number may get bigger after skipping the media session in Game 2.