# Aaliyah Edwards

Aaliyah Edwards (born July 9, 2002) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball at UConn before being selected sixth overall by the Mystics in the 2024 WNBA draft. Edwards has also played for the Canadian national team since 2018.

## Early life

Edwards was born in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, on July 9, 2002. She attended Crestwood Preparatory College in Toronto, where she led her school to three championships.

## College career

Edwards played college basketball for the UConn Huskies from 2020 to 2024. As a junior, she averaged double-double of 18.3 points and 11 rebounds per game, an improvement from her sophomore season, when she averaged 7.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. The sturdy junior forward became the first UConn player with 20 points and 20 rebounds since Maya Moore in 2010. As a senior, Edwards was selected first-team All-Big East and second-team All-America after UConn made the final four of the 2024 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament.

## Professional career
### WNBA
#### Washington Mystics (2024–present)

On April 15, 2024, Edwards was selected in the first round of the 2024 WNBA draft as the sixth pick by the Washington Mystics. On April 18, she signed her rookie scale contract with the team. On May 15, 2024, in an 80–85 loss to the New York Liberty, Edwards made her debut, recording 6 points and 2 rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench. She made her first career start on May 19, 2024, in a 75–84 loss to the Seattle Storm, posting 9 points and 11 rebounds. Edwards had her best game of the season on June 6, 2024, in a 71–79 loss to the Chicago Sky, where she scored career-highs in points (23), rebounds (14), and blocks (4). Throughout the season, Edwards alternated between starting and playing off the bench, usually replacing the original starting center Shakira Austin, who struggled with injuries. Edwards herself missed three games in June and the final three games of the season in September due to back and ankle injuries, respectively. Overall, in her rookie season, she played in 34 games and started 17, averaging 7.6 points and 5.6 rebounds in 21.8 minutes per game.

### Unrivaled

On October 29, 2024, it was announced that Edwards would appear and play in the inaugural 2025 season of Unrivaled, a women's 3-on-3 basketball league founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. In a 1v1 tournament, Edwards defeated Stewart, Allisha Gray, and Arike Ogunbowale before losing in the best-of-three finals to Collier.

## National team career

Edwards made her international debut with the Canadian junior national team at the 2017 FIBA Under-16 Women's Americas Championship, where she won a silver medal. She also joined the national team for the 2018 U17 FIBA World Cup and the 2019 U19 FIBA World Cup, where she was the youngest player on both teams.
In 2019, at the age of 16, Edwards made her senior national team debut at an exhibition tournament in Belgium and later that summer, she helped Canada secure a silver medal at the 2019 FIBA Women's AmeriCup. In November 2019, Edwards helped Canada win the Americas pre-qualifying tournament for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
She was once again the youngest member of the team for the 2021 FIBA Women's AmeriCup, where Canada finished fourth. In July 2021, Edwards was named to team Canada's roster for the Tokyo Olympics. She was the youngest member of the team. In the Olympic tournament, Edwards played only 31 seconds across two group stage games, as Canada failed to advance to the quarterfinals.
In the 2023 FIBA Women's AmeriCup, Edwards was one of the key players on the team that won bronze medals. Over the course of seven games, she averaged 26.4 minutes, 10.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game.
In July 2024, Edwards was named to team Canada's roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics. In the Olympic tournament, Edwards played in all three group stage games, averaging 3.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.3 steals in 20.8 minutes per game. However, Canada once again failed to progress to the quarterfinals.

## Career statistics
### WNBA
#### Regular season

Stats current through end of 2024 season
WNBA regular season statistics :
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
| 2024 | Washington | 34 | 17 | 21.8 | .490 | .000 | .507 | 5.6 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 7.6 |
| Career | 1 year, 1 team | 34 | 17 | 21.8 | .490 | .000 | .507 | 5.6 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 7.6 |

### College

NCAA statistics :
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
| 2020–21 | UConn | 29 | 6 | 21.8 | .689 | — | .636 | 5.7 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 10.7 |
| 2021–22 | UConn | 36 | 26 | 24.9 | .521 | .400 | .740 | 5.1 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 7.9 |
| 2022–23 | UConn | 37 | 37 | 32.5 | .589 | 1.000 | .773 | 9.0 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 3.0 | 16.6 |
| 2023–24 | UConn | 37 | 37 | 30.3 | .593 | .000 | .747 | 9.2 | 2.1 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 17.6 |
| Career | 139 | 106 | 27.7 | .593 | .333 | .736 | 7.3 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 2.4 | 13.4 |

## Personal life

Edwards was born in Kingston, Ontario, to Jacqueline and Stanford Edwards. She wears purple and yellow braids to pay homage to the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant, and her late brother Jermaine. She is of Jamaican descent.

## Awards and honors

* Big East All-Tournament team (2023)
* AP Third Team All-American (2023)