Jesse David Edwards (born 18 March 2000) is a Dutch professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange and the West Virginia Mountaineers. Standing at 2.12 m (6 ft 11+1⁄2 in), he plays the center position. He also plays for the Netherlands men's national basketball team.
| Minnesota Timberwolves | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 18 March 2000 Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2024: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2024–present |
| Career history | |
| 2024–present | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2024–present | →Iowa Wolves |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Early life and high school career
editEdwards was born in Amsterdam to a Dutch mother and a British father. He grew up with two siblings.[1] He started playing basketball at age 14 and later joined the youth section of Apollo Amsterdam. After graduating Amsterdams Lyceum high school in the Netherlands, he went on to play on the Post Grad team for IMG Academy, a boarding school in Bradenton, Florida.[1]
Recruiting
editEdwards received offers by Georgia Tech and Providence, among others. He committed to playing college basketball for Syracuse in April 2019.[1]
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jesse Edwards C |
Amsterdam, Netherlands | IMG Academy (FL) | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Apr 5, 2019 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79
| ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: – 247Sports: – ESPN: – | ||||||
Sources:
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College career
editEdwards averaged 2.4 points and 1.7 rebounds per game as a freshman.[2] As a sophomore, he averaged 1.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.[3] On 5 December 2021, he recorded his first career double-double, after recording 11 points and 12 rebounds against Florida State.[4] On 8 February 2022, Edwards broke his left wrist during a game against Boston College, ending his season. He averaged 12 points and 6.5 rebounds per game as a junior, shooting 69.5 percent.[5] In the 2022–23 season, Edwards averaged 14.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game, shooting 59.2 percent.[6]
In April 2023, Edwards transferred to West Virginia.[7]
Professional career
editAfter going undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft, Edwards signed a two-way contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves on 9 July 2024.[8]
National team career
editIn July 2021, Edwards joined the training camp of the Netherlands senior team for the first time, along with his brother Kai.[9] He was selected for the qualification games of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. On 2 July 2022, Edwards debuted in a 66–67 away loss against Iceland in which he had six points, seven rebounds, and two blocks in ten minutes of playing time.[10]
In August 2022, Edwards rejoined the national team to participate in international competitions which includes World Cup qualifying and the Eurobasket.[11] He was on the 12-man roster for EuroBasket 2022.[12]
Career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | Syracuse | 21 | 0 | 6.9 | .792 | — | .632 | 1.7 | .0 | .2 | .5 | 2.4 |
| 2020–21 | Syracuse | 18 | 0 | 8.9 | .462 | — | .714 | 2.6 | .0 | .3 | .4 | 1.9 |
| 2021–22 | Syracuse | 24 | 24 | 28.0 | .695 | — | .598 | 6.5 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 2.8 | 12.0 |
| 2022–23 | Syracuse | 32 | 32 | 32.5 | .592 | 1.000 | .729 | 10.3 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 2.7 | 14.5 |
| 2023–24 | West Virginia | 23 | 22 | 28.2 | .613 | .000 | .523 | 8.0 | 1.2 | .6 | 1.7 | 15.0 |
| Career | 118 | 78 | 22.6 | .623 | .200 | .619 | 6.4 | .9 | .8 | 1.8 | 10.0 | |
Personal life
editHis older brother Kai also plays basketball, currently plays for Landstede Hammers and played college basketball for Northern Colorado from 2016 to 2020.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Szuba, James (9 November 2021). "The Mad Professor: Jesse Edwards ready to make his mark with Syracuse basketball". Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
- ^ Adler, Neil (9 January 2021). "Syracuse Basketball: Jesse Edwards is confident despite a lack of run". InsideTheLoudHouse.com. FanSided. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
- ^ Zagoria, Adam (31 March 2021). "After reaching the Sweet 16, the Syracuse roster is in flux". ZagsBlog.com. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
- ^ Szuba, James (5 December 2021). "Syracuse's Jesse Edwards records first career double-double before fouling out at Florida State". Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "Syracuse basketball player Jesse Edwards breaks left wrist, out for season". ESPN. Associated Press. 10 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
- ^ "ESPN player bio". ESPN.com. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ Givony, Jonathan (16 April 2023). "West Virginia lands Syracuse transfer Edwards". ESPN.com. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
- ^ "Timberwolves Sign Jesse Edwards to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. 9 July 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ "Orange Lions op trainingskamp met veel talenten van college". Basketball.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 December 2021.
- ^ "De Orange Lions hebben nagelaten hun uitgangspositie voor de volgende fase van de WK-kwalificatie een boost te geven". Basketball.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 July 2022.
- ^ "Edwards Joins Dutch National Team". Syracuse University Athletics. 13 August 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
- ^ "Netherlands announced final 12-player roster for EuroBasket". BasketNews.com. Retrieved 30 August 2022.