Anthony Edwards, without a doubt, is a rising star in the NBA. He was the No 1 overall pick in 2020 for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and averaged more than 25 points per game in last season’s playoffs. Edwards even took his star power to the big screen in a LeBron James production, Hustle, as the trash-talking basketball player Kermit Wilts.
But recently Edwards traded trash-talking on the screen for homophobic language in real life, which he posted to his 1.2m followers on Instagram. On Sunday, he tweeted an apology, saying his comments were “immature, hurtful, and disrespectful”. Undoubtedly, Edwards can play basketball, but what kind of man, role model, or leader is he? What actions should be taken to discourage this kind of behavior in the NBA and the wider sports world?
