| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1965-10-31)October 31, 1965 (age 60) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Greene Central (Snow Hill, North Carolina) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 1989: 1st round, 21st overall pick |
| Drafted by | Utah Jazz |
| Playing career | 1989–2001 |
| Position | Shooting guard /small forward |
| Number | 30, 32 |
| Career history | |
| 1989–1992 | Utah Jazz |
| 1992–1994 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1994–1995 | Boston Celtics |
| 1995 | Utah Jazz |
| 1995–1998 | Vancouver Grizzlies |
| 1999 | Miami Heat |
| 1999–2000 | Olympiacos |
| 2000–2001 | Dafni |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 7,585 (10.8 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,376 (3.4 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,409 (3.0 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Theodore "Blue"Edwards (born October 31, 1965) is an American former professionalbasketball player who played ten seasons in theNational Basketball Association (NBA). Edwards now coaches at his alma mater,Greene Central High School inSnow Hill, North Carolina.
Edwards' hometown wasWalstonburg, North Carolina. He attended Greene Central High School, in Snow Hill, North Carolina where he played on the basketball team.[1]
From 1984 to 1986, Edwards played basketball atLouisburg College inLouisburg, North Carolina.[1]
In the late 1980s, he played forEast Carolina University. In 1988–89, Edwards scored 773 points, the most points in a single season for ECU. He also finished sixth in the nation in scoring.[1]
In 1987, Edwards was suspended from the season after being found guilty of breaking and entering.[2] In 1994, Edwards became a member of the East Carolina University Athletics Hall of Fame.[1]
He was selected by theUtah Jazz with the 21st overall pick of the1989 NBA draft out ofEast Carolina University and was a member of the 1990 NBA All-Rookie 2nd team. He was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in 1992 and tied for scoring withFrank Brickowski for theMilwaukee Bucks during the1992–93 season with 16.9 points per game[3] (although at 16.85, Edwards' average was slightly lower than Brickowski's 16.89).
Edwards was selected by the Vancouver Grizzlies with the 26th selection in the1995 NBA expansion draft, having been left unprotected by theUtah Jazz. He recorded the firsttriple-double in the history of theVancouver Grizzlies (also his first) on March 1, 1996, against theDallas Mavericks with 15 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. In the Grizzlies' first season, he ranked fourth overall in points per game (12.7).
Edwards won several games with last-second shots, including a game winning bucket against theMinnesota Timberwolves that ended the Grizzlies' 23-game losing streak. The shot prevented the Grizzlies from tying theNational Basketball Association record for most consecutive losses. He also hit a last-second game winning shot against thePhiladelphia 76ers. He was also the only Grizzly to play and start all 82 games.
Due to Edwards' dunking ability, he was invited to the 1990NBA Slam Dunk Contest in which he did not take part due to injury, and was replaced byDavid Benoit. However, he did take part in the 1991 event, placing 6th. Edwards wore number 30 throughout his career until he moved to the Miami Heat where he wore 32 as 30 was in use byTerry Porter.
After his NBA career, Edwards played overseas.[4]
| 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 |
| * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989–90 | Utah | 82 | 49 | 23.0 | .507 | .300 | .719 | 3.1 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 8.9 |
| 1990–91 | Utah | 62 | 56 | 26.0 | .526 | .250 | .701 | 3.2 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 9.3 |
| 1991–92 | Utah | 81 | 81 | 28.2 | .522 | .379 | .774 | 3.7 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 12.6 |
| 1992–93 | Milwaukee | 82 | 81 | 33.3 | .512 | .349 | .790 | 4.7 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 16.9 |
| 1993–94 | Milwaukee | 82 | 64 | 28.3 | .478 | .358 | .799 | 4.0 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 11.6 |
| 1994–95 | Boston | 31 | 7 | 16.4 | .426 | .256 | .896 | 2.1 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 7.1 |
| 1994–95 | Utah | 36 | 0 | 16.8 | .495 | .344 | .762 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 6.6 |
| 1995–96 | Vancouver | 82 | 82* | 33.8 | .419 | .343 | .755 | 4.2 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 12.7 |
| 1996–97 | Vancouver | 61 | 12 | 23.6 | .397 | .281 | .817 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 7.8 |
| 1997–98 | Vancouver | 81 | 20 | 24.3 | .439 | .333 | .837 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 10.8 |
| 1998–99 | Miami | 24 | 0 | 11.8 | .444 | .400 | .692 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 3.2 |
| Career | 704 | 452 | 26.1 | .475 | .335 | .779 | 3.4 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 10.8 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989–90 | Utah | 5 | 0 | 18.8 | .538 | .333 | .875 | 3.6 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 7.2 |
| 1990–91 | Utah | 9 | 9 | 26.8 | .481 | .500 | .800 | 3.1 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 10.1 |
| 1991–92 | Utah | 16 | 7 | 22.1 | .468 | .200 | .719 | 3.2 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 8.1 |
| 1994-95 | Utah | 4 | 0 | 8.3 | .333 | 1.000 | .000 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 2.3 |
| Career | 34 | 16 | 21.2 | .473 | .313 | .767 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 7.8 | |
At the end of 2001, Edwards was involved in a highly publicized child custody case in Canada. While playing for the Vancouver Grizzlies in the spring of 1996, Edwards, who was married, started an affair with Canadian citizen Kimberly Van de Perre. He had at least two other affairs. During the affair with Kimberly, she became pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy named Elijah, in June 1997. When Elijah was three months old, Ms. Van de Perre began proceedings for custody and child support, naming Edwards as the father of the child. Edwards responded initially by seeking joint custody and liberal access, but later changed his response to seek sole custody.[5]
After a lengthy trial that ran from the fall of 1998 to early 1999, the trial judge released his decision and awarded sole custody to the mother. Edwards was given considerable access — four one-week periods quarterly throughout the year, shared time atChristmas and on Elijah's birthday and additional access upon short notice when he was inVancouver. Edwards appealed this decision.
During the hearing at theBritish Columbia Court of Appeal, the Court invited Mrs. Edwards to apply to be admitted as a party and to request joint custody of Elijah with her husband. Mrs. Edwards is also anAfrican American. This new, joint application for custody was successful, and Elijah was placed in the custody of Edwards and his wife.
The Court of Appeal's decision was stayed to allow the mother the opportunity to seek leave to appeal to theSupreme Court of Canada, with the result that Elijah remained primarily in his mother's care throughout these proceedings. In 2001 the Supreme Court of Canada restored the trial decision and awarded custody to Elijah's mother; the Court concluded that in this case there was no evidence introduced that race should be "an important consideration".[6] After the Supreme Court affirmed that the mother should have sole custody, the father ceased visiting and paying child support.
In 2009, theCanadian Television Network produced and aired a made-for-TV movie based on the custody battle story entitled "Playing for Keeps", which is released in the US under the title "What Color Is Love?".[7][8][9]