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Justin Edwards (basketball, born 2003)

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Justin Edwards
No. 19 – Philadelphia 76ers
PositionSmall forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2003-12-16) December 16, 2003 (age 20)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight203 lb (92 kg)
Career information
High schoolImhotep Institute Charter
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
CollegeKentucky (2023–2024)
NBA draft2024: undrafted
Playing career2024–present
Career history
2024–presentPhiladelphia 76ers
2024–present→Delaware Blue Coats
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Justin Te'jon Edwards (born December 16, 2003) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League.[1][2] He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2023 class.

Early life and high school career

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Edwards grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and attended Imhotep Institute Charter High School.[3] He helped Imhotep win the Philadelphia City championship as a sophomore.[4] As a junior, Edwards averaged 18.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and led the Panthers to the PIAA Class 5A state championship.[5] He played in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League following the season.[6] Edwards was selected to play in the 2023 McDonald's All-American Boys Game.[7] He was also selected to play for Team USA in the Nike Hoops Summit.[8] As a senior, Edwards averaged 17.9 points and 7.5 rebounds as the Panthers repeated as state champions and was named Mr. Pennsylvania Basketball.[9]

Recruiting

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Edwards was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2023 class, according to major recruiting services.[10][11] He was rated as the #1 overall recruit in the nation by ESPN in January 2023.[12] On July 25, 2022, Edwards committed to playing college basketball for Kentucky after considering offers from Tennessee, Auburn, Kansas, Maryland, and Villanova.[13] He also considered playing professionally in the NBA G League.[14]

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Justin Edwards
SF 		Philadelphia, PA Imhotep Institute Charter (PA) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jul 25, 2022 
Star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 94
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 3  247Sports: 3  ESPN: 3
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Kentucky 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  • "2023 Kentucky Wildcats Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 18, 2023.

College career

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Edwards enrolled at the University of Kentucky in June 2023.[15] During the summer before his freshman year he played for the Wildcats in the GLOBL JAM tournament in Canada and averaged 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 steals over four games as the team went undefeated and won the tournament.[16] Edwards averaged 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 32 games played during his freshman season.[17] After the season, he declared for the 2024 NBA draft.[18]

Professional career

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After going undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft, Edwards signed a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers on July 4, 2024.[19]

Career statistics

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Legend
  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

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023–24 Kentucky 32 30 21.4 .486 .365 .776 3.4 .9 .9 .2 8.8

Personal life

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Edwards' mother, Ebony Twiggs, played college basketball at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania and overseas in Portugal.[20]

References

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  1. ^ Varney, Dennis; Drummond, Cameron (June 28, 2024). "UK's Justin Edwards, once a possible No. 1 pick, goes undrafted but is headed to the 76ers". Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  2. ^ Ignudo, Tom (June 27, 2024). "Philadelphia native Justin Edwards agrees to two-way deal with 76ers, report says - CBS Philadelphia". CBSNews.com. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  3. ^ "Philly forward Justin Edwards considering KU, five others". Kansas City Star. April 29, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  4. ^ Piatt, Joey (December 1, 2021). "Imhotep's Justin Edwards was impressed by Kentucky's Big Blue Nation. Will the rising wing commit to his dream school?". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  5. ^ Tucker, Kyle (July 25, 2022). "Why Justin Edwards became Kentucky's latest five-star recruit in the Class of 2023". The Athletic. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  6. ^ "Kentucky basketball recruit Justin Edwards at Louisville EYBL". Lexington Herald Leader. May 30, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  7. ^ DiAmore, Isabella (January 24, 2023). "Paul VI's Hannah Hidalgo is a McDonald's All American; Justin Edwards, D.J. Wagner, and Aaron Bradshaw also make cut". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  8. ^ "Nike Hoop Summit to feature Imhotep's Justin Edwards, Camden's DJ Wagner, and Paul VI's Hannah Hidalgo". Philadelphia Inquirer. February 14, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  9. ^ "Imhotep's Justin Edwards named 2023 Mr. Basketball". The Philadelphia Inquirer. May 27, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  10. ^ Selbe, Nick (July 26, 2022). "Justin Edwards, Top-Three Overall 2023 CBB Prospect, Commits to Kentucky". SI.com. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  11. ^ Borzello, Jeff (July 25, 2022). "Kentucky Wildcats add another five-star pledge to 2023 college basketball recruiting class in Justin Edwards". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  12. ^ Carter, Aaron (January 20, 2023). "Imhotep's Justin Edwards is the new No. 1 in ESPN's basketball recruiting rankings". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  13. ^ "Star basketball recruit Justin Edwards commits to Kentucky". Lexington Herald Leader. July 25, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  14. ^ Elvin, Gustav (April 28, 2022). "Imhotep star Justin Edwards narrows his list down to seven, including Villanova, the G League". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  15. ^ Thompson, Tyler (June 5, 2023). "LOOK: Justin Edwards arrives on Kentucky's campus". On3.com. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  16. ^ Tucker, Kyle (July 17, 2023). "How Kentucky basketball changed the conversation with its four wins in Canada". The Athletic. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  17. ^ "Kentucky basketball 2024-25 roster updates for John Calipari's program". The Courier-Journal. March 30, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  18. ^ Neiburg, Jeff (April 4, 2024). "Imhotep's Justin Edwards declares for NBA draft after one season at Kentucky". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  19. ^ "PHILADELPHIA 76ERS SIGN JUSTIN EDWARDS TO TWO-WAY CONTRACT". NBA.com. July 4, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  20. ^ Breen, Matt (February 24, 2023). "Imhotep Charter's Justin Edwards is Philly's top high school player in 30 years. His mom worked two jobs to keep his dream alive". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
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