There are a few indignities in the NBA that never fully go away, no matter how many points you score or how loud your own highlights get. Getting dunked on is one of them. Anthony Edwards, one of the league’s most fearless talkers and finishers, didn’t try to pretend otherwise Sunday night in Minneapolis after Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey rose over him for a poster dunk that instantly became the clip everyone replayed.
MAXEY POSTER OVER ANT 🤯
FLEXED ON HIM TOO 🍿 pic.twitter.com/bO21TAc02d
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 23, 2026
The moment came in a game the 76ers controlled from start to finish, a 135–108 win over the Timberwolves at Target Center. Maxey led the way with 39 points and eight assists, and Philadelphia buried Minnesota under a three-point avalanche, hitting 21 threes in the win.
But even in a blowout, one play can take on a life of its own. Maxey, a guard more commonly associated with speed, angles, and soft finishes, caught Minnesota leaning the wrong way and exploded downhill. Edwards, reading “layup” and reacting a beat late, turned his head to find the finishing decision had already changed in midair. The result was a fast, emphatic punch at the rim that left the building buzzing and the postgame questions inevitable.
Edwards met those questions the way he often does: directly, honestly, and with a grin that signaled he understood the sport’s unwritten code. He praised Maxey first, calling him one of his favorite players to watch, then admitted the obvious; he didn’t love being the one in the frame.
“He dunked on me today too, I don’t really like that,” Edwards said, explaining he didn’t realize Maxey was going downhill and assumed he’d try to lay it in before “he punched it.”
Anythony Edwards on getting dunked on by Tyrese Maxey:
“He’s incredible man. He already know he one of my favorite players to watch in the league. He dunked on me today too, I don’t really like that. I didn’t know he was going downhill I just end up turning my head and I’m… pic.twitter.com/Ml14ZDuuks
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) February 23, 2026
That’s the part that makes Edwards’ reaction resonate beyond the clip. It’s not just the humility; it’s the basketball clarity. Edwards isn’t making excuses, and he isn’t hiding behind toughness theater. He’s describing, in real time, how quickly Maxey’s burst collapses a defense, and how a split-second of uncertainty is all it takes for a routine contest to turn into a poster.
It also doubles as a compliment to Maxey’s evolution. On a night when Philadelphia’s offense was humming and the Timberwolves were shorthanded up front, Maxey’s aggression put constant pressure on the rim and helped keep Minnesota’s defense in rotation all game. The dunk was a punctuation mark, but the larger point was the same one Edwards landed on afterward: elite players force you into decisions you don’t have time to feel good about.
