After leaving the University of Illinois, Eddleman played professionally for four seasons in the National Basketball Association. His career began after he received offers from the Chicago Stags and the Tri-Cities Blackhawks. He decided to play for the Blackhawks because he preferred to live in Moline, Illinois, with his wife and newborn daughter. In 1950, Eddleman led the Blackhawks in scoring as a rookie. After playing for the Tri-City Blackhawks and the Milwaukee Hawks, he was traded to the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons which resulted in a move to Indiana. While playing for the Pistons, he cultivated a friendship with Fred Schaus, who would later become coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Eddleman played in the NBA All-Star Game in both 1951 and 1952. Over his NBA career, Eddleman scored 3221 points in 266 games, for a scoring average of 12.1 points per game.