Aaliyah Edwards

Aaliyah Mckenzie Edwards (born July 9, 2002) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Connecticut Sun of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for the Lunar Owls of Unrivaled. She played college basketball at UConn before being selected sixth overall by the Mystics in the 2024 WNBA draft. Edwards has also played for the Canadian national team since 2018.

Early life Edwards was born in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, on July 9, 2002. She attended Crestwood Preparatory College in Toronto, where she led her school to three championships.

College career

Edwards played college basketball for the UConn Huskies from 2020 to 2024. As a junior, she averaged a 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. She became the first UConn player with 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game since Maya Moore in 2010. As a senior, Edwards was selected first-team All-Big East and second-team All-America after UConn made the final four of the 2024 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament.

Professional career WNBA

Washington Mystics (2024–2025) 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, Edwards made her debut in an 80–85 loss to the New York Liberty, recording 6 points and 2 rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench. She made her first career start on May 19 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 in a 71–79 loss to the Chicago Sky, with career highs in points (23), rebounds (14), and blocks (4). Throughout the season, she alternated between starting and playing off the bench, usually replacing the starting center, Shakira Austin, who struggled with injuries. 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.

Edwards missed the start of the 2025 season due to a back injury and lost her spot in the rotation to rookie Kiki Iriafen. Edwards struggled to carve out minutes throughout the season, and on July 1, it was reported that the Mystics were working to trade her. Overall, she played in 21 games for Washington in 2025, averaging 6.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game.

Connecticut Sun (2025–present) On August 7, 2025, Edwards was traded to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for Jacy Sheldon and the right to swap 2026 first-round picks (Washington's Minnesota pick for Connecticut's New York pick). She made her debut on August 11 in an 86–94 loss to the Las Vegas Aces, recording 4 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal in 17 minutes off the bench.

Unrivaled On October 29, 2024, it was announced that Edwards would appear and play in the inaugural 2025 season of Unrivaled, a women's 3-on-3 basketball league founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. In a 1v1 tournament, Edwards defeated Stewart, Allisha Gray, and Arike Ogunbowale before losing to Collier in the best-of-three finals. She played for Mist BC in the 2025 Unrivaled season.

On November 5, 2025, it was announced that Edwards had been drafted by Lunar Owls BC for the 2026 Unrivaled season.

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.

Edwards was once again the youngest member of the team for the 2021 FIBA Women's AmeriCup, where Canada finished fourth. In July 2021, she was named to team Canada's roster for the Tokyo Olympics. She was the team's youngest member. In the Olympic tournament, Edwards played only 31 seconds across two group stage games, as Canada failed to advance to the quarterfinals.

In July 2024, Edwards was named to team Canada's roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics. In the Olympic tournament, she 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. Canada once again failed to progress to the quarterfinals.

Career statistics

WNBA Regular season Stats current through end of 2025 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. Edwards is a vegetarian. Awards and honors Big East All-Tournament team (2023) AP Third Team All-American (2023)