Sports

Former NBA Superstars Slam Anthony Edwards For Conceding Playoff Series With Eight Minutes Remaining

#NBA
by
Anthony Edwards

Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images


The Minnesota Timbervoles saw their 2025-26 NBA season come to an end on Friday night after a 139-109 blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 6 of the West Conference Semifinals.

But the bigger story after the game centered on T-Wolves superstar Anthony Edwards, and his behavior while the game and series were still in progress.

With eight minutes remaining in the game, San Antonio led 128-95, and the game was, in all intents and purposes, over. That’s when Edwards, sensing defeat, entered the Spurs’ team huddle during a stoppage and congratulated San Antonio players one by one for winning the series.

The moment didn’t sit well with former NBA stars Dirk Nowitzki and Blake Griffin, nor Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem, who were quick to call out Edwards’ behavior.

Ex-NBA Stars Slammed Anthony Edwards Over Early Concession

“I’ve watched the NBA and been a part of it for a long, long time. I’ve never seen this,” Nowitzki said on the NBA on Prime postgame show. “A guy walking into the huddle with eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter and dapping up the entire team. Too much for me. You can do that after the game … That was a little strange for me.”

Edwards tried to justify the gesture by explaining that he wasn’t going to re-enter the game.

“At that point, you know you ain’t going back in, so you’re just trying to get them respect they deserve,” he said in his postgame press conference.

But Haslam Griffin fell on the side of Nowitzki.

“As great as Ant is as a basketball player, there’s still some growth in him as well,” Haslem noted. “Because, as a leader, I would not have walked down there and shook their hands … with eight minutes left in the game. … I would not show that weakness. The game is not over. I got eight minutes left. I still got smoke coming out of my ears (because) I’m so d— mad that we’re losing.”

Even Edwards’ fans struggled to defend him.

Ultimately, Edwards is technically correct. The game was essentially over, and he wasn’t going to come back in. However, it’s still not a great look from a competitive mindset standpoint.