# Justin Edwards (basketball, born 2003)

Justin Edwards (born December 16, 2003) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2023 class.

## Early life and high school career

Edwards grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and attended Imhotep Institute Charter High School. He helped Imhotep win the Philadelphia City championship as a sophomore. As a junior, Edwards averaged 18.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and led the Panthers to the PIAA Class 5A state championship. He played in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League following the season. Edwards was selected to play in the 2023 McDonald's All-American Boys Game. He was also selected to play for Team USA in the Nike Hoops Summit. As a senior, Edwards averaged 17.9 points and 7.5 rebounds as the Panthers repeated as state champions and was named Mr. Pennsylvania Basketball.

### Recruiting

Edwards was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2023 class, according to major recruiting services. He was rated as the #1 overall recruit in the nation by ESPN in January 2023. On July 25, 2022, Edwards committed to playing college basketball for Kentucky after considering offers from Tennessee, Auburn, Kansas, Maryland and Villanova. He also considered playing professionally in the NBA G League.
College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Justin Edwards SF | Philadelphia, PA | Imhotep Institute Charter (PA) | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Jul 25, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 94 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 3 247Sports: 3 ESPN: 3 ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Kentucky 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 18, 2023. "2023 Kentucky Wildcats Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 18, 2023. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 18, 2023. ||||||

## College career

Edwards enrolled at the University of Kentucky in June 2023. During the summer before his freshman year he played for the Wildcats in the GLOBL JAM tournament in Canada and averaged 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 steals over four games as the team went undefeated and won the tournament. Edwards averaged 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 32 games played during his freshman season. After the season, he declared for the 2024 NBA draft.

## Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft, Edwards signed a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers on July 4, 2024. On January 14, 2025, Edwards scored a career-high 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting in a 118-102 loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder. On February 9, the 76ers signed Edwards to a standard NBA contract.

## Career statistics
### College

| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 2023–24 | Kentucky | 32 | 30 | 21.4 | .486 | .365 | .776 | 3.4 | .9 | .9 | .2 | 8.8 |

## Personal life

Edwards' mother, Ebony Twiggs, played college basketball at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania and overseas in Portugal.