Could Anthony Edwards be serving prison time in the near future? The star guard of the Minnesota Timberwolves, has been cited for two cases of third-degree assault after allegedly hitting two women with a folding chair at the end of Game 5 against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night. The incident occurred at Ball Arena in Denver, where the Timberwolves lost 112-109 and were eliminated from the NBA playoffs.
According to reports, Edwards was frustrated after missing a potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer and picked up and swung a chair from the floor-level seats as he ran to the tunnel exiting the floor. He then discarded the chair on the pathway leading up to the tunnel. Video footage captured by fans and broadcast cameras showed that the chair appeared to hit two arena employees who were standing nearby. The employees reportedly suffered minor injuries, and did not require medical attention.
How Much Prison Time is Anthony Edwards Facing?
The Denver Police Department stopped the Timberwolves’ team bus outside the arena and issued Edwards two misdemeanor citations for third-degree assault, which is defined as “knowingly or recklessly” causing bodily injury. Edwards is scheduled to appear in court on June 9. If convicted, he could face up to 18 months in jail or a fine, depending on what the court decides.
The Timberwolves also issued a statement on Wednesday, saying that they are aware of the alleged incident and are in the process of gathering more information. They said that they have no further comment at this moment. Take a look at some videos of the incident. You’ll see it seems like Anthony Edwards decided he didn’t want to throw the chair, while he was in the process of already throwing it.
Edwards, who was the first overall pick in the 2020 draft, had a breakout season with the Timberwolves, averaging 24.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. He was an injury replacement selection for the All-Star Game earlier this season, and is eligible for a five-year rookie-scale contract extension. The last time he faced controversy it involved some comments about the LGBTQ community that was caught on camera.
