Despite his outstanding performance in Game 3, Anthony Edwards—the leader of the Minnesota Timberwolves—went viral for his celebration in the final moments of the match rather than for his play. With 2:54 left in the game, the Wolves were ahead by 19 points. Moments from sealing a 3-0 series lead against Kevin Durant and company, Edwards became ecstatic and made an outrageous gesture that has resulted in Joel Embiid getting fined multiple times in the past. Even though the Wolves star’s acts have a humorous tone, supporters on social media can’t help but believe the worst for him.
Edwards pointed to his lower belly and groin area multiple times while making the “s*ck it” sign after the Timberwolves defeated Phoenix 3-0 in the series. Over the years, many fans and athletes have impersonated the celebration, which was first made popular by D-Generation X in the late 1990s [WWE].
It’s shocking that Edwards got away with making these lewd gestures during the game. However, when Joel Embiid performed remarkably similar acts during NBA games, supporters were quick to point out the repercussions he faced.
Fans react to Anthony Edwards celebration and not getting fined like Joel Embiid
Social media users attempted to calculate how much Ant-Man would probably have to surrender in the near future using the Philadelphia 76ers star as a point of reference.
A fan estimated that the fine would be $25,000 based on Joel Embiid’s previous record. These are the fan reactions below.
Joel Embiid was fined $25,000 by the NBA for his inappropriate celebration btw…
Anthony Edwards mos def getting fined for doing the same (somewhat). 😂
— 🔪𐌃𐌄𐌍𐌍𐌉𐌔🔪 (@dennis_k_g) April 27, 2024
That fine is about to be astronomical 😭😭😭😭😭😭
— goatman (free KD) (@nocontextKD35) April 27, 2024
They bout to fine him 50k like joel
— Tino_too_groovy909 (@cool_vf63972) April 27, 2024
This was Joel Embiid in his full flow.
#SuckIt https://t.co/rVpradzgkW pic.twitter.com/xP8uJ3T6IA
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) January 26, 2023
This was what Joel Embiid was fined for.
JOEL IS FIRED UP pic.twitter.com/dnfKmpPEl6
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) October 30, 2023
Anthony Edwards will likely be fined at least $35,000. It won’t be shocking, though, if Adam Silver chooses to charge the combo guard more than Embiid was ever forced to pay for a single incident, given how much the fines are growing all the time.
The young player for the Minnesota Timberwolves is most likely already aware of the substantial fine he will be facing. The two-time All-Star would gladly pay for his errors because the Wolves are only one victory away from the Western Conference Semifinals.