Teresa Edwards facts for kids
Edwards and ambassador Earl Anthony Wayne in 2011
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| Born | July 19, 1964 Cairo, Georgia, U.S. |
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| High school | Cairo (Cairo, Georgia) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Georgia (1982–1986) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2003 / Round: 2 / Pick: 14th overall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Minnesota Lynx | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1996–2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 2007–2014 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1996–1998 | Atlanta Glory | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998 | Philadelphia Rage | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Minnesota Lynx | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 2007 | Minnesota Lynx (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Tulsa Shock (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Tulsa Shock (interim) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Atlanta Dream (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Teresa Edwards (born July 19, 1964) is an amazing American former women's basketball player. She is famous for winning four Olympic gold medals!
In 2000, Sports Illustrated magazine named her one of the "100 Greatest Female Athletes of the 20th Century." She played basketball and graduated from the University of Georgia.
The US Olympic Committee chose Edwards to be the leader for the American team at the 2012 Olympic Games. In 2010, Edwards was added to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2013, she also joined the FIBA Hall of Fame. In 2021, Edwards shared her life story in an audio book called Black Gold. It's all about her basketball journey, especially her time at the Olympics.
Contents
High School Basketball Star
Teresa Edwards was born in Cairo, Georgia. She went to Cairo High School, where she was a starter on the basketball team for all four years. In her junior and senior years, her team, the Syrupmakers, had an incredible record of 58 wins and only 3 losses! She scored 1,982 points during her high school career. In 1982, she was named the Georgia High School Player of the Year.
College Basketball Journey
Edwards started her college basketball career at the University of Georgia. She played for the Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball team. She was so good that she was named an All-American twice. This means she was recognized as one of the best college players in the country.
As the starting point guard, she helped lead the Lady Bulldogs to the Final Four in the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament in 1983 and 1985. Edwards even played in her first Olympic Games in 1984 while still in college. She was the youngest player on the team and won her first of four gold medals! Her college jersey number (#5) was retired, which is a very special honor given to only a few Lady Bulldog players. She earned her degree in leisure studies in 1990.
Playing in the ABL
After college, Teresa Edwards became a star player for the Atlanta Glory. This team was part of the American Basketball League (ABL). She was also the head coach for the team. She played in the very first ABL game between the Glory and the San Jose Lasers. In 1998, she was traded to the Philadelphia Rage.
WNBA Career Highlights
In 2003, the Minnesota Lynx team picked Teresa Edwards in the 2003 WNBA draft. Even though she was 38 years old, the Lynx coach, Suzie McConnell Serio, really wanted her on the team. Edwards and Serio had been teammates on the US Olympic basketball team in 1988 and 1992.
Edwards played for the Lynx during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. After her contract ended, she became a free agent. This means she could sign with any team, but no other WNBA team offered her a contract for the 2005 season.
In December 2006, Edwards returned to the Lynx, but this time as an assistant coach. She also worked as a sports analyst for NBC Sports during the 2008 Summer Olympics.
In 2011, Edwards became an assistant coach for the Tulsa Shock. She later became the interim head coach after the previous coach resigned. On March 4, 2014, Edwards was hired as an assistant coach by the Atlanta Dream.
International Basketball Success
After graduating from college, Edwards played basketball overseas for nine seasons. She played in countries like Italy, Japan, Spain, and France. During this time, she also kept playing for the United States in international competitions.
After the 1994 season, she stayed in the U.S. to train for her fourth Olympic appearance at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. It was a special moment because she was chosen to say the competitors' oath at the Opening Ceremonies, which happened on her 32nd birthday! The Women's Sports Foundation named her the 1996 Sportswoman of the Year in the team category.
She played for the United States in international competitions a total of 19 times. Her teams won an amazing 14 gold medals.
In 1984, the USA National team went to the William Jones Cup competition in Taipei, Taiwan. This was practice before the Olympics. The team easily won every game, often by almost 50 points! Edwards scored about 5.5 points per game.
Teresa Edwards is the first female basketball player to have played in five Olympics. She is also one of only a few basketball players, including Australian Andrew Gaze, Puerto Rican Teófilo Cruz, and Brazilian Oscar Schmidt, to compete in five Olympics.
She holds a unique record: she is both the youngest female basketball player to win a gold medal (at age 20 in 1984) and the oldest (at age 36 in 2000).
She made a record fifth Olympic basketball team and earned her fourth gold medal, along with a bronze medal from a previous Olympics. She returned to Europe to play in 2002.
Edwards was part of the US team at the 1987 William Jones Cup in Taipei, Taiwan. The team won all seven games and took home the gold medal. Edwards led the team in scoring with 23 points against China. In the gold medal game against South Korea, she made key free throws that helped the USA win by just one point. She was the team's second-highest scorer, averaging 12.4 points per game, and was named to the all-tournament team. In 1988, Edwards also played in the Jones Cup again. The USA team had a 3–2 record, which was enough for a silver medal. She led her team in scoring, averaging 15.4 points per game.
Edwards was also a member of the USA Women's Pan American Team. She won a gold medal in Indiana in 1987 and a bronze medal in Havana, Cuba, in 1991.
She was on the USA National team for the 1990 World Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The team won their first games easily. They then faced Cuba, a team that had beaten them before. The USA team was losing at halftime but came back to win 87–78. Edwards made four out of five three-point shots and scored 32 points, plus five steals! The USA team won the gold medal game 88–78. Edwards led the team in scoring and assists, averaging 21.9 points per game and having 24 assists.
Edwards was also on the USA national team for the 1994 World Championships in Sydney, Australia. The team won their first six games. Then they played Brazil in a close, high-scoring game, but Brazil won 110–107. The USA team won a close final game against Australia 100–95 to earn the bronze medal. Edwards had the second-highest scoring average on the team with 12.7 points per game.
She also holds the record for the most points scored in an ABL game with 46 points.
Awards and Honors
- 2001: Georgia Sports Hall of Fame
- 2010: Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
- 2009–2012: USA Basketball Board of Directors
- 2011: Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 2011: NCAA Silver Anniversary Award
- 2013: FIBA Hall of Fame
See also
In Spanish: Teresa Edwards para niños
- List of multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event
- List of athletes with the most appearances at Olympic Games
