Simone Ann-Marie Edwards,
OD (November 17, 1973 – February 16, 2023) was a Jamaican-American basketball player who played for the
New York Liberty
The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was f ...
and the
Seattle Storm
The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm competes in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerl ...
and was the first Jamaican player in the
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...
(WNBA). The 6'4"
center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
was known to fans as the "Jamaican Hurricane."
Career
Edwards did not play basketball in
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
. She was spotted by an American college basketball coach after competing in a track meet in
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
. She first garnered attention on the court during junior college, at
Seminole State College in
Seminole, Oklahoma
Seminole ( sac, Sheminônîheki) is a city in Seminole County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 7,488 at the 2010 census. Seminole experienced a large population growth in the 1920s due to an oil boom.
History
The city was platted i ...
, leading the team to an undefeated conference record, ranking in the
National Junior College Athletic Association
The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...
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 athletes at a
New York Liberty
The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was f ...
tryout camp. She was chosen as a developmental player by the Liberty in 1997, but never saw a game until signing on with the newly inaugurated
Seattle Storm
The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm competes in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerl ...
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
The WNBA Finals are the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the conclusion of the league's postseason each fall. The series was named the WNBA Championship until 2002. Starting 2016 Verizon is the officia ...
with the 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
'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...
, minutes, and games played.
From 1997 to 2007, Edwards played professional basketball in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
. 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
Radford University is a public university in Radford, Virginia. It is one of the state's eight doctorate-granting public universities. Founded in 1910, Radford offers curricula for undergraduates in more than 100 fields, graduate programs inclu ...
. Edwards was an assistant at
George Mason University
George Mason University (George Mason, Mason, or GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia with an independent City of Fairfax, Virginia postal address in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. The university was origin ...
from 2008 to 2011.
Personal life and death
Edwards 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 appointed Edwards an
Officer of the Order of Distinction (OD), which is bestowed on citizens of Jamaica who have rendered outstanding and important service to Jamaica in their field.
Edwards died from ovarian cancer on February 16, 2023, at the age of 49.
References
External links
Seattle Storm Player ProfileWNBA Player ProfileSimone Edwards' "Simone4Children" charitable foundation*
ttp://www.wnba.com/storm/news/edwards060519.html May 19, 2006 Seattle Storm press release on her retirementbr>
July 17, 2007 press release on joining Radford University's coaching staffBasketballcamps with Simone EdwardsSimone Edwards, first Jamaican to play in WNBA, dies at 49
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Simone
1973 births
2023 deaths
Sportspeople from Kingston, Jamaica
Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball players
Radford Highlanders women's basketball coaches
Jamaican female sprinters
Jamaican women's basketball players
Centers (basketball)
Seattle Storm players
Basketball players at the 2007 Pan American Games
Pan American Games competitors for Jamaica
Jamaican women's basketball coaches
Deaths from ovarian cancer
Deaths from cancer in Florida
Jamaican autobiographers
Women memoirists
Officers of the Order of Distinction