Homophobia, Racism and Misogyny: What’s Going on in the NBA? – Hit The Post

We’re only halfway through the week, and there’s already been a lot of drama surrounding the NBA and its players. This past weekend, rising star Anthony Edwards received backlash for a homophobic video he posted on Instagram, where he was heard using anti-gay slurs.

Although the video was taken down soon after, the damage had already been done. Edwards and the Timberwolves organization both issued apologies following the incident.

Edwards, the number one pick in 2020, has shown great potential in being a future superstar and a top player in the league. This past season, he averaged over 21 points per game, and in his first ever playoff appearance, Edwards averaged 25 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists per game in 6 games.

In my opinion, Anthony Edwards is a season or two from reaching superstar status, so I think it would be best for him to learn from other superstar players like Steph, Giannis, and LeBron on how to be unproblematic when it comes to your off-the-court life. It’s likely that Edwards will be fined for his language, seeing as the NBA has a history of fining players for inappropriate language in the past, but hopefully this serves as a wake up call for the young star.

In other news, Robert Sarver, owner of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, has been fined 10 million dollars and suspended from the respective organizations for a year because of his racist and misogynistic remarks. The NBA recently issued a statement regarding the suspension as well as commissioner Adam Silver commenting on the matter. The suspension comes after a year-long investigation following allegations made by ESPN, in which Sarver was called out for his racism and misogyny. 

During their investigation into the issue, the NBA found that Sarver used the N-word on at least five separate occasions, engaged in inappropriate misconduct towards women in the workplace, and the overall harsh treatment of employees.

While getting information on the story, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between this situation and the Donald Sterling situation. Sterling was formerly the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers before being permanently banned from the NBA. It was rather surprising to find out that Sarver had not been banned as Sterling had, especially considering players who have played for both owners, like Jamal Crawford, pointed out how comparable the two owners are. 

This raises the question why didn’t the NBA ban Sarver? After banning Sterling, one would think some type of precedent would be in place to give out the same punishment. After all, I think most would argue that Sarver and Sterling are two sides of the same coin. 

Regarding the Robert Sarver situation, there are still some things left to be answered. However, the biggest question that remains to be answered is: What is going on in the NBA?

“Hit The Post” covers the latest topics in professional sports, with a focus on professional basketball. Each week, Arkese Claiborne covers the latest news and topics from both on and off the court.