I opened up my laptop this morning with my coffee and saw all the buzz about Anthony Edwards flipping off the crowd last night. You know how it is – Twitter blowing up, hot takes everywhere. Felt like digging into how this compares to other NBA dudes who’ve pulled the same stunt. Grabbed my notepad and started scribbling down names immediately.
Step 1: Hunting Down Similar Incidents
First thing I did was rack my brain for any finger incidents I remembered. Immediately thought of Draymond Green – dude practically made it his signature move for a hot minute. Then Trae Young popped in my head ’cause he did it to Knicks fans that one time. Had to Google to check if I missed anyone obvious, found that old clip of Kobe giving the bird to Spurs fans way back.
Step 2: Making My Comparison Chart
Drew a table on my notepad with four columns: player name, who they flipped off, the fine amount, and how mad fans got. Looked up the NBA fine history real quick – surprised me how much the numbers varied:
- Anthony Edwards (2024 playoffs) – $40k fine after taunting Denver fans
- Draymond Green (2021 game) – $25k for Memphis crowd during play-in
- Trae Young (2021 playoffs) – $35k for MSG taunt
- Kobe Bryant (2011 regular season) – $100k for referee reaction
Kobe’s $100k stood out like crazy! Adjusted for inflation that’s wild compared to today’s fines.
Step 3: Spotting the Patterns
Here’s where it got interesting. Notice players almost never flip off refs – Kobe did and got hammered hardest. Everyone else targets opposing fans. Found articles showing fans actually expect this behavior now, especially in intense playoff environments. One tweet I saved straight up said: “If you don’t get flipped off in Denver, did you even heckle right?” Crazy how normalized it’s become.
Step 4: Putting My Thoughts Together
Sat back and realized the league’s been super inconsistent with punishments. Edwards got fined more than Draymond for basically the same act. Makes me think the NBA just wings it based on media attention that week. Also noticed how players defend themselves – everyone claims it’s “heat of the moment” except Draymond, who straight up said “They deserved it” with zero apologies.
In the end, my messy notes showed two clear things: fan reactions barely matter anymore for punishment, and we’ll keep seeing this happen every playoffs. People pretend to be outraged but secretly love the drama. Anthony Edwards ain’t the first and won’t be the last – just the flavor of the week.
