MINNEAPOLIS — As a Timberwolves season-ticket holder, Sabrina Hiller attended a meet-and-greet with the team's players in December. The St. Paul native, like a lot of Wolves fans, gravitated toward Anthony Edwards as a favorite player because of his charisma and star potential on the court.
But as someone who is pansexual, Hiller was disappointed when Edwards released a video on his Instagram account in September that contained homophobic remarks toward a group of men. She saw Edwards' public apology at media day and wanted to share some thoughts with him. She got the chance to take a photo with Jaden McDaniels and Edwards, and the interaction then made her feel "a lot better" about her fandom of the player and the team.
"I said, 'Thank you for your apology, I hope you continue to work on it … continue to prove us right and do right by us,' " Hiller said. "He said, 'Oh, for sure.' It was that interpersonal communication I was able to have with him [that] helped a lot."
"Just that little moment with Ant was enough for me."
Hiller hopes to be in attendance Wednesday when the Wolves take on Portland in their annual Pride Night game. But this Pride Night is unlike any other in the team's recent history because it comes against the backdrop of two significant actions that affected the team's relationship with its fans who identify in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. First was Edwards' video, then came center Rudy Gobert's Twitter like of an Elon Musk tweet that mocked the use of personal pronouns, which are important to the trans community.
Along with his apology, Edwards also pledged to work in the community, to do "whatever it takes," to repair the damage he caused.
On Monday, he encouraged LGBTQ fans to attend the game.
"Come support," Edwards said. "You know, what I did is behind us. It's all love. Just come support, man. Have fun at the game and I'm going to put on a show for you guys."
Some fans who spoke to the Star Tribune in advance of Pride Night were also hoping to see Edwards fulfill his pledge to use his platform for good in the LGBTQ community, especially as it pertains to uplifting LGBTQ youth, given his ability to connect with young fans. Edwards said those actions are still in the works.
"We got something going in Minnesota, me and my guys," Edwards said. "We're trying to figure it out, and the team is helping me also."
Gobert also apologized a day after he liked the tweet in December, saying it was not his intent to hurt anyone and that he was sorry if he harmed any group of people. The actions reinforced that sports is still one of the areas of public life where LGBTQ people can feel unwelcome, despite the rights and acceptance those groups have gained over the last several years.
Hiller appreciated Edwards' apology and has tried not to let Gobert's liking of Musk's tweet detract from supporting the team. Some fans also pointed to Gobert's holiday present of $50 gift cards to Target Center employees as a good testament to his character.
"I've resorted to being that optimistic fan that I've always been because there's so much negativity in the [Wolves fan base] right now," Hiller said.
There are also fans who see it differently. Jenna Wegner, a trans Wolves fan from Minneapolis who found comfort in rooting for the Wolves as she was going through the difficult process of transitioning, thought Gobert's actions were "extremely gross" and wasn't satisfied with his apology.
"In the context of Ant's slur earlier this year it really stood out," Wegner said. "Like, did the team even talk to everyone about the community and how words and such can be hurtful?"
Wegner said she won't be attending Pride Night so as not to feel like a "prop."
"It's been rough," Wegner said of her fandom. "Maybe it's partially due to the on-court product not being what I'd been hoping. … Maybe it's because work makes it hard to keep up, but I've been feeling very detached from them as a fan of late."
Mary Lennick from Minneapolis plans to be in attendance and hopes to pick up some of the Pride merchandise the Wolves will have available. The team also will feature the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus performing the national anthem, a halftime performance from non-binary singer-songwriter-producer Ness Nite and monetary and ticket donations to LGBTQ groups, among other things.
Lennick is a fan of both the Wolves and Lynx and said as a lesbian, rooting for both teams under the same organizational umbrella has sometimes felt "like a tale of two different worlds." At Lynx games, she feels welcome. That feeling isn't as strong at Wolves games.
But she said she is a "diehard Ant fan" and has tried to practice what she preaches in her own life in "giving people grace" when they have made a mistake.
"Ant has built up enough rapport with Wolves fans to earn our patience and understanding," Mennick said. "Perhaps I'm blinded by being such a big fan, but he seems genuinely kind-hearted and I'm a believer."
Fans also expressed a desire for Edwards and Gobert to realize that their platforms and actions affected not just them individually, but others within the community, especially young people who may be struggling with their sexual and gender identities. Seeing messages or approval of words mocking LGBTQ people can be harmful for their well-being if they see some of their favorite athletes using or endorsing that language.
"If they can find a way to make kids feel like there's more representation of people like them in sports, I think that could go a long way in helping the LGBTQ youth feel welcome in their own skin," said Mitch Ebenreiter, a gay Wolves fan from Chicago.
Along those lines, several fans said they hope to see players offer words of support Wednesday night whether through recorded messages or live remarks before or after the game.
They hope the players are sincere in their apologies and that the organization is putting on this night for more than public relations purposes, that the actions and words of all involved are genuine and not performative.
"Just something that welcomes and shows that they're accepted," Hiller said. "Because ultimately, a lot of the Wolves fan base does come from this community, and this team is a big part of a lot of people's lives in this community."
