Aaliyah Edwards facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Aaliyah Edwards

Edwards with the Washington Mystics in 2024
No. 24 – Washington Mystics
Forward
Personal information
Born	(2002-07-09) July 9, 2002 (age 22) Kingston, Ontario, Canada
High school	Crestwood Prep (Toronto, Ontario)
Listed height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight	174 lb (79 kg)
Career information
College	UConn (2020–2024)
NBA Draft	2024 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6th overall
Selected by the Washington Mystics
Pro career	2024–present
League	WNBA
Career history
2024–present	Washington Mystics
2025–present	Mist BC
Career highlights and awards
Second-team All-American – USBWA (2024) Third-team All-American – AP, USBWA (2023) WBCA Coaches' All-American (2024) 2× First-team All-Big East (2023, 2024) Big East Most Improved Player of the Year (2023) Big East Sixth Woman of the Year (2021) Big East All-Freshman Team (2021) Big East tournament MOP (2023)
Medals Women's basketball Representing  Canada FIBA Women's AmeriCup Silver 2019 Puerto Rico Bronze 2023 León FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship Silver 2017 Argentina

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. She was selected 6th overall by the Washington Mystics in the 2024 WNBA draft. Edwards has represented Canada since her cadet years and has been playing for the senior Canadian national team since she was 16 years old.

High School

Edwards played high school basketball at Crestwood Preparatory College, in Toronto, Ontario, where she led her school to three championships.

College career

Edwards graduated after playing with the UConn Huskies women's basketball team for four seasons. 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. Edwards was selected first-team All-Big East and second-team All-America as a senior, a season in which UConn narrowly lost against Iowa in the Final Four after playing to a record-breaking 14.4 million ESPN basketball viewers.

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, the women's 3x3 basketball league founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart.

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

College

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)