No matter how much everyone wants to put the “face of the league” tag on Anthony Edwards, the young guard somehow finds a way to shrug that off. Be it verbally declaring another player the poster boy or by his actions. As things are going, Ant is making himself a standout in the NBA for being a bad boy. His feisty demeanor once again landed him in hot waters after the ejection against the Lakers on Thursday night. At this crucial juncture of the season, where the nerves prevail, Anthony Edwards is becoming an exception, costing his team with continuous antics on the court. But now it’s time to tone it down, and he has some veteran advice on his way.
Edwards was ejected after picking up his second technical foul of the night with 5:21 minutes remaining in the third quarter. As he was on his way to the Crypto.com arena tunnel, the Timberwolves star hurled the ball at the crowd, causing even more commotion. Now that the heat has settled, former NBA star DeMarcus Cousins has a message for Ant to get him thinking straight again.
“It’s time to sit back, young fella. Time to fall back a little bit,” Boogie said in the latest episode of FanDuel TV’s Run It Back. “You don’t want this to become a long-term issue. The refs are sensitive… They hold grudges, and you just don’t wanna become a victim of that.” With 14 ejections to his name, Cousins knows the best when it comes to the refs. Getting into fights is only giving Edwards a bad name, making him an easy target in any future altercations. The first tech of the night came after Ant shoved Jarred Vanderbilt from behind at the end of the first quarter.
. @BoogieCousins‘ message to Anthony Edwards:
“Let’s lock in more on the actual game and less on talking…you don’t want to become a distraction or have an asterisk next to your name. They will use it against you.”@MichelleDBeadle | @ChandlerParsons | @TeamLou23 pic.twitter.com/GPYAXnIzpv
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) February 28, 2025
“You don’t want this to become a distraction and also have a asterisk next to your name because they will use it against you,” Cousins further added to caution the talented guard. Chiming in, Chandler Parsons also tried to talk some sense into Edwards. “It’s a much bigger issue if Anthony Edwards isn’t on the floor for this team than the standing, they need him. They have zero shots without him. You have no (Julius) Randle and (Rudy) Gobert… you just got Dante (DiVincenzo) back last night,” the former Mavs player said.
This was Anthony Edwards’ 16th technical foul of the season, meaning an automatic ban for the Utah Jazz game and a $5000 fine. As a leader of the team, he can’t afford to miss out on games due to suspensions, as Parsons highlighted. “You have to show that growth, show that maturity and leadership where you can control your emotions and you can be on the floor on your floor. Because this is make or break right now.”
Failure to reach the playoffs after last season’s deep run could certainly hit Edwards’ chances of becoming the face of the league. But he probably isn’t too bothered about being the flag bearer and LeBron James agrees wholeheartedly.
LeBron James backs Anthony Edwards over major debate
In all the NBA’s history, there are probably 3 names who have been acknowledged as the face of the league. Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James are easily the top picks in that regard. Throughout his 22-year career, LeBron maintained that status with discipline on the court apart from generational talent. One can argue, that Anthony Edwards also possesses otherworldly talent, but that discipline part needs some polishing, if he has to be the face of the league. But LeBron isn’t holding anything against his Team USA brother if he shows disinterest in taking up the mantle.
Following the Lakers’ win over the T’Wolves, LeBron was inevitably asked about the whole situation and the debate. “Ant already said he don’t want it. He ain’t trying to deal with that s—,” LeBron said. “I mean, Channing Frye said it the other day, too. Like, I mean, it’s unfortunate, but, like, why do you want to be the face of a league all the people that cover our game and talk about our game on a day-to-day basis s— on everybody? To have that responsibility, it’s just weird. It’s weird energy,” the 40-year-old said.
According to the crew chief’s report, Edwards was given the second tech due to profanity towards officials. That sort of emotional outburst has to be kept in check for Edwards to soar to the greatness of his predecessors. But then again, will that make Ant who he is? That’s probably a hard pass for the polarizing “face of the league.”
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