James Franklin Edwards (born November 22, 1955) is a former American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

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 ...

in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA) for the Los Angeles Lakers, Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns,

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

, and

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

. Though he never appeared in an

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or d ...

, he was a reliable low-post scorer, averaging 12.7 points per game over his career. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

Early years

Born in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

, Edwards starred at Roosevelt High School. As a senior in 1973, he led the Roughriders to the big-school state basketball title, while receiving All-State and All-Metro honors at

. He also practiced

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open cou ...

as a sophomore.

College career

Edwards accepted a basketball scholarship from the hometown

, to play under coach

Marv Harshman Marvel Keith Harshman (October 4, 1917 – April 12, 2013) was a college basketball coach, a head coach for forty years in the state of Washington at Pacific Lutheran University, Washington State University, and the University of Washington. Ear ...

. As a freshman, he took over the starting duties at

, averaging 6.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest. As a sophomore, he registered 12.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. As a junior in the 1975–76 season, he averaged 17.6 points (led the team) and 7.1 rebounds (second on the team) per game. He also contributed to the team having a 22–6 record, qualifying for the school's first NCAA basketball tournament appearance since 1953 and finishing the regular season ranked No. 11. This was also the last team to defeat (103–81) a John Wooden squad, as the legendary coach would retire after the season, having won his 10th National Championship. As a senior in the 1976–1977 season, he led the team with 20.9 points and 10.4 rebounds, but the squad failed to qualify for the NCAA basketball tournament with a 17–10 overall record. He received All-American honors. He finished his college career with an average of 14.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. In 1990, he was inducted into the

Husky Hall of Fame. In 2015, he was inducted into the

State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Professional career

Los Angeles Lakers

Edwards was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 3rd round (46th overall) of the

1977 NBA draft The 1977 NBA draft was the 31st annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 10, 1977, before the 1977–78 season. In this draft, 22 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players ...

. As a rookie, he was forced to become the team's starting center just a few minutes into the season opener against the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

, when starter

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran. Given name Karim * Karim A ...

broke his right hand in a fight with rookie

Kent Benson Michael Kent Benson (born December 27, 1954) is an American former collegiate and professional basketball player. Benson was a two time All-American at Indiana University, winning the 1976 Helms Foundation Player of the Year and helping lead t ...

. He led the team with averages of 17.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, until Abdul-Jabbar returned after missing the first 21 contests of the season. On December 13, the Lakers needed to find a replacement for suspended

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...

Kermit Washington Kermit Alan Washington (born September 17, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player. Washington is best remembered for punching opposing player Rudy Tomjanovich during an on-court fight in 1977. Washington was not a highly-cove ...

, so Edwards was traded along with shooting guard

Earl Tatum William Earl Tatum (born July 26, 1953) is a retired American professional basketball player from Mount Vernon, New York. He was a 6'4½" (194 cm) 185 lb (84 kg) guard who played high school basketball at Mount Vernon, where he w ...

and cash considerations to the Indiana Pacers, in exchange for

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger ...

Adrian Dantley and

Dave Robisch David George Robisch (born December 22, 1949) is a retired American professional basketball player in the ABA and NBA. Robisch played at the University of Kansas, where he was initiated into the Sigma Nu fraternity. He was positioned at center ...

Indiana Pacers

Edwards enjoyed arguably his most productive years with the Indiana Pacers. He became the franchise's highest-scoring

, averaging 15.9 points over four seasons and also posted 7.5 rebounds per contest. The Pacers reached the playoffs for the first time in the 1980–81, under head coach Jack McKinney, and were swept 0–2 by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round.

Cleveland Cavaliers

On May 26, 1981, he was signed as a veteran free agent by the Cleveland Cavaliers, with the Pacers receiving a 1981 second round draft pick (#36- Ray Blume) and a 1982 second round draft choice (#40- Guy Morgan) as compensation. He spent parts of two seasons, averaging 16.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. On February 7, 1983, Cavaliers owner

Ted Stepien Theodore J. Stepien (June 9, 1925 – September 10, 2007) was an American businessman who owned the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1980 to 1983. Born in Pittsburgh in 1925, he became wealthy as the founder ...

desperately needed money to pay the team's payroll, so Edwards was traded along with a 1983 1st round draft pick (#21- Greg Kite) to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for

Jeff Cook Jeffrey Alan Cook (August 27, 1949 – November 7, 2022) was an American country music artist. He was best known for being a founding member of the band Alabama, in which he contributed to lead vocals, guitar, fiddle, piano and other musical in ...

, a 1983 1st round draft pick (#20- Roy Hinson), a 1983 3rd round draft choice (#67-Derrick Hord) and $425,000 dollars in cash.

Phoenix Suns

Edwards was a key contributor with the Phoenix Suns, averaging 14.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. On February 24, 1988, he was traded to the

in exchange for

Ron Moore and a 1991 second-round draft pick (#46-

Richard Dumas Richard Wayne Dumas (born May 19, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he is the son of former American Basketball Association player Rich Dumas. Basketball career Dumas, a 6' 7" small forward f ...

Detroit Pistons

Edwards played four seasons with the

. He was a key reserve of the consecutive

champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...

in 1989 and 1990 Detroit Pistons' Bad Boys squads, starting most of the team's games in 1990. He averaged 11.2 points and 3.6 rebounds as a Piston. His

Fu Manchu Dr. Fu Manchu () is a supervillain who was introduced in a series of novels by the English author Sax Rohmer beginning shortly before World War I and continuing for another forty years. The character featured in cinema, television, radio, com ...

mustache A moustache (; en-US, mustache, ) is a strip of facial hair grown above the upper lip. Moustaches have been worn in various styles throughout history. Etymology The word "moustache" is French, and is derived from the Italian ''mustaccio'' ( ...

and stoic demeanor, inspired his nickname of

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...

. On August 13, 1991, he was traded to the

in exchange for shooting guard Jeff Martin and a 1995 2nd round draft pick (#30-

Lou Roe Louis Marquel Roe (born July 14, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Spanish Liga ACB, among other leagues. He was an All-American college player at the Unive ...

Later career

Edwards spent one season in the Clippers. On August 13, 1992, he signed as an

unrestricted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...

with the Los Angeles Lakers, spending two seasons with the team that drafted him. On September 19, 1994, he signed as an

with the

. He was released on September 29, 1995. On October 26, 1995, he signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

with the

, where he won a third championship in the 19th and final season of his career in 1996, seeing limited playing time off the bench. Edwards retired after playing 19 years at the

and

positions, with 14,862 career points and 6,004 career rebounds.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, 25 , , – , , 28.9 , , .459 , , – , , .640 , , 7.2 , , 1.2 , , 0.6 , , 1.1 , , 14.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, 58 , , – , , 29.0 , , .450 , , – , , .649 , , 7.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.6 , , 0.9 , , 15.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , – , , 31.0 , , .501 , , – , , .676 , , 8.5 , , 1.1 , , 0.7 , , 1.3 , , 16.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , – , , 28.2 , , .512 , , .000 , , .681 , , 7.0 , , 1.5 , , 0.7 , , 1.3 , , 15.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , – , , 29.3 , , .509 , , .000 , , .703 , , 7.0 , , 2.6 , , 0.4 , , 1.6 , , 15.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, 77 , , 75 , , 33.0 , , .511 , , .000 , , .684 , , 7.5 , , 1.6 , , 0.3 , , 1.5 , , 16.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 15 , , 8 , , 25.5 , , .487 , , – , , .623 , , 6.4 , , 0.9 , , 0.5 , , 0.9 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, 16 , , 1 , , 17.8 , , .487 , , – , , .660 , , 3.7 , , 1.7 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 8.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 72 , , 67 , , 26.3 , , .536 , , .000 , , .720 , , 4.8 , , 2.6 , , 0.3 , , 0.4 , , 14.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 70 , , 58 , , 25.5 , , .501 , , .000 , , .746 , , 5.5 , , 2.2 , , 0.4 , , 0.7 , , 14.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 52 , , 51 , , 25.3 , , .542 , , – , , .702 , , 5.8 , , 1.4 , , 0.4 , , 0.6 , , 16.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 14 , , 9 , , 21.7 , , .518 , , – , , .771 , , 4.3 , , 1.4 , , 0.4 , , 0.5 , , 12.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 43 , , 42 , , 32.0 , , .469 , , .000 , , .635 , , 7.8 , , 1.7 , , 0.3 , , 0.7 , , 15.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

, 26 , , 2 , , 12.6 , , .475 , , – , , .738 , , 3.0 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 0.2 , , 5.4 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , 1 , , 16.5 , , .500 , , .000 , , .686 , , 3.0 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 0.4 , , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 70 , , 27.8 , , .498 , , .000 , , .749 , , 4.2 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 0.5 , , 14.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 72 , , 70 , , 26.4 , , .484 , , .500 , , .729 , , 3.8 , , 0.9 , , 0.2 , , 0.4 , , 13.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 72 , , 11 , , 20.0 , , .465 , , .000 , , .731 , , 2.8 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 0.5 , , 9.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 52 , , 0 , , 11.9 , , .452 , , – , , .712 , , 1.9 , , 0.8 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 6.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 45 , , 2 , , 10.4 , , .464 , , – , , .684 , , 1.4 , , 0.5 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 4.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, 28 , , 0 , , 9.5 , , .386 , , – , , .647 , , 1.5 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 0.3 , , 2.7 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 28 , , 0 , , 9.8 , , .373 , , – , , .615 , , 1.4 , , 0.4 , , 0.0 , , 0.3 , , 3.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 1,168 , , 467 , , 24.3 , , .495 , , .048 , , .698 , , 5.1 , , 1.3 , , 0.4 , , 0.7 , , 12.7

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 2, , –, , 28.0, , .292, , –, , –, , 7.0, , 2.5, , 0.5, , 0.5, , 7.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 3, , –, , 18.0, , .423, , –, , 1.000, , 6.0, , 1.3, , 0.3, , 0.3, , 9.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 17, , –, , 27.2, , .492, , –, , .706, , 5.4, , 1.6, , 0.2, , 0.6, , 13.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 22, , 2, , 14.0, , .509, , .000, , .659, , 3.1, , 0.5, , 0.1, , 0.5, , 6.3 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...

† , style="text-align:left;",

, 17, , 0, , 18.6, , .471, , .000, , .784, , 2.1, , 0.7, , 0.1, , 0.5, , 7.1 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

† , style="text-align:left;",

, 20, , 20, , 26.8, , .494, , .000, , .604, , 3.6, , 0.7, , 0.3, , 0.6, , 14.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 15, , 11, , 23.0, , .407, , –, , .691, , 2.5, , 0.6, , 0.1, , 0.2, , 10.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1992 , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 5, , 0, , 17.4, , .417, , –, , .632, , 2.6, , 0.6, , 0.2, , 0.2, , 6.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 3, , 0, , 4.7, , .750, , –, , –, , 0.7, , 0.0, , 0.0, , 0.0, , 2.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 1, , 0, , 4.0, , .000, , –, , –, , 0.0, , 0.0, , 0.0, , 0.0, , 0.0 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", 1996† , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 6, , 0, , 4.7, , .444, , –, , .750, , 0.7, , 0.0, , 0.0, , 0.0, , 1.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 111 , , 33 , , 19.9 , , .468 , , .000 , , .682 , , 3.2 , , 0.8 , , 0.2 , , 0.4 , , 9.3

Personal life

In April 1987, Edwards, along with

Jay Humphries John Jay Humphries (born October 17, 1962) is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He later served as the first head coach of the NBA D-League's Reno Bighorns. He last worked ...

and

Grant Gondrezick Grant Gondrezick Sr. (January 19, 1963 – January 7, 2021) was an American professional basketball player who took the court as a shooting guard. Basketball career After attending high school in his hometown, 6'5" Gondrezick played college ba ...

, was indicted by a

Maricopa County Maricopa County is in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,420,568, making it the state's most populous county, and the fourth-most populous in the United States. It contains about ...

, Arizona, grand jury investigating cocaine trafficking. Edwards was indicted on three counts, conspiracy to possess a narcotic drug, conspiracy to transfer a narcotic drug, and conspiracy to transfer or possess marijuana. Former Suns player Walter Davis was involved and was offered immunity in exchange for testimony, but his testimony failed to reveal critical details. Edwards, along with all other defendants, never went to trial, but was required to undergo a drug counseling program as settlement.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, James 1955 births Living people African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Seattle Centers (basketball) Chicago Bulls players Cleveland Cavaliers players Detroit Pistons players Indiana Pacers players Los Angeles Clippers players Los Angeles Lakers draft picks Los Angeles Lakers players Phoenix Suns players Portland Trail Blazers players Power forwards (basketball) Washington Huskies men's basketball players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople

Early years

College career

Professional career

Los Angeles Lakers

Indiana Pacers

Cleveland Cavaliers

Phoenix Suns

Detroit Pistons

Later career

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Personal life

See also

References