Simone Edwards
Simone Ann-Marie Edwards, OD (born 17 November 1973) is a basketball player who played for the New York Liberty and the Seattle Storm and was the first Jamaican player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The 6'4" Edwards center is known to fans as the "Jamaican Hurricane." Edwards did not play basketball in high school. She was spotted by an American college basketball coach after competing in a track meet in Jamaica. She first garnered attention on the court during junior college, at Seminole State College in Seminole, Oklahoma, leading the team to an undefeated  conference record, ranking in the National Junior College Athletic Association Top 10. During her tenure, she became the First Kodak All-American in the school’s history. In 1996-97, she led the University of Iowa Hawkeyes in field-goal percentage (.557) during her senior season. Edwards was one of three players picked out of over 300 athlete at a NY Liberty tryout camp. As a developmental player by the New York Liberty in 1997, but never saw a game until signing on with the newly inaugurated Storm in 2000. She was the only player to be a part of  the team for every game of its first six seasons. Edwards won a WNBA championship with the Seattle Storm in 2004. On May 19, 2006, just prior to the start of the 2006 WNBA season, Edwards announced her retirement from the WNBA. She retired as the team's all-time leader in rebounds, and games and minutes played. From 1997-2007, Edwards played professional basketball in Europe and Israel. Edwards coached the Jamaican women's national basketball team and led them to a 2014 Caribbean Championship. On August 5, 2007, she was hired as an assistant coach at Radford University . Edwards was an assistant at George Mason University from 2008-2011. Simone was named the National Spokesperson for Caribbean American Heritage Month for June 2017. On June 9, 2017, she released "Unstoppable: A Memoir of Adversity, Perseverance & Triumph". On August 6, 2017, the Government of Jamaica conferred the national award, the Order of Distinction which is bestowed on citizens of Jamaica who have rendered outstanding and important service to Jamaica in their field.