After an uneventful rookie season in the WNBA last year, Washington Mystics forward Aaliyah Edwards has garnered attention with her meteoric rise during the Unrivaled 1-v-1 tournament.
Edwards shocked the basketball world by skunking two-time WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart (12-0) on Monday to advance to the quarterfinals of the inaugural tournament. An eight-seed beating a top seed in the 30-women tournament was newsworthy enough. Yet, Edwards topped one of the world’s premier women’s basketball players without Stewart scoring a single point.
Edwards’ dominating win had the basketball world buzzing.
Stewart tipped her cap to Edwards, pushing her Mist BC teammate to continue throughout the tournament.
Edwards obliged, beating two-time WNBA All-Star and 2017 Rookie of the Year Allisha Gray 12-6 to advance to the semifinals.
The win earned Aaliyah Edwards at least $25,000. She will vow to earn another $50,000 when she faces another No. 1 seed, Arike Ogunbowale, on Friday. The winner of the tournament earns $200,000 and $10,000 to each of her Unrivaled teammates.
Aaliyah Edwards breaking out of shadows of historic draft class
Edwards, a Canadian native, starred at the University of Connecticut. She was a first-team All-Big East and two-time All-American, winning Most Outstanding Player of the Big East Tournament in 2023. However, Edwards took a backseat to more notable women’s college basketball stars Caitlyn Clark, Angel Reese, and Cameron Brink.
Thus, when the Washington Mystics selected Edwards sixth overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft with Reese still on the board, a large contingent of fans questioned the team, forever linking the two.
Reese proved to be a polarizing figure in their first season in the WNBA. Reese became an All-Star, finished runner-up in the Rookie of the Year voting to Clark, and broke multiple WNBA records. Meanwhile, Edwards had a modest time with the Mystics. She averaged a pedestrian 7.6 points and 5.6 rebounds in 34 games, including 17 starts.
Coincidentally, the Mystics parted ways with general manager Mike Thibault and his son, head coach Eric Thibault, after the season.
Aaliyah Edwards taking advantage of Unrivaled timing
After the disappointing rookie campaign, Edwards committed to the new 3-v-3 league, Unrivaled, co-founded by Stewart and fellow WNBA star Napheesa Collier. Playing for Mist BC, Edwards averages 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds in eight games.
Still, Edwards has taken a backseat to fellow 2024 draft classmate and Mist teammate Rickea Jackson. However, Edwards has used the exciting 1-v-1 tournament to introduce herself to the casual fans.
Her back-to-back upsets over Stewart and Gray have made her overwhelming the lovable underdog heading into Friday’s final four. Fans are now buzzing about Aaliyah Edwards. Win or lose, she expects to carry the momentum into her sophomore year with the Mystics.
The Mystics introduced a new head coach and GM on Wednesday. Washington expects to undergo a rebuild, as the team has the fourth and sixth overall picks in this year’s draft. Edwards is presumably going to be a core piece in the franchise’s restructure.
Edwards is taking advantage of the opportunity to garner notice through Unrivaled. Clark and Brink opted against playing in the inaugural season. The headlines have followed Reese even in Unrivaled. However, the former national champion did not compete in the 1-v-1 tournament. Jackson got eliminated in the second round.
Aaliyah Edwards is finally a talking piece for fans. It’s her time to shine. A win over Arike may break the internet. Nonetheless, she is proving to be someone fans can look for going into the 2025 WNBA season. Hopefully, she can carry over her breakout with Unrivaled to the W.
