Teresa Edwards (born July 19, 1964 in Cairo, Georgia) is a retired American basketball player. In 2000, Sports Illustrated magazine placed her as 22nd of the "100 Greatest Female Athletes of the 20th Century".

[edit] College years

Edwards began her career at the University of Georgia where she was a two time All-American. She also led^{[citation needed]} Georgia Bulldogs, to the Final Four on two occasions and played in her first Olympic Games as a collegian, in 1984. Her college jersey number (#5) was retired, making her one of only three Lady Bulldog players given that honor.

She earned her degree in Leisure Studies in 1990.

[edit] ABL career

Edwards was the star player and head coach for the Atlanta Glory of the American Basketball League (ABL). She also played for the Philadelphia Rage.

[edit] WNBA career

Edwards did not turn to the WNBA, later claiming that if she had joined, she would be receiving the minimum salary due to her status as an WNBA "rookie".

During the 2003 WNBA Draft, at the urging of Minnesota Lynx head coach Suzie McConnell Serio, the Lynx selected Edwards even though she was 38 years old. Edwards and Serio were teammates on the women's basketball team during the Summer Olympics of 1988 and 1992.^[1][2]

Edwards played for the Lynx during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Afterward, her contract expired and she became a free agent. But no other WNBA team offered her a contract for the 2005 season.

In December 2006, Edwards returned to Lynx, as an assistant coach.

Edwards served as an analyst for NBC Sports coverage of Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics. ^[3]

[edit] International career

Medal record
Women’s Basketball
Competitor for the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold	1984 Los Angeles	Team Competition
Gold	1988 Seoul	Team Competition
Gold	1996 Atlanta	Team Competition
Gold	2000 Sydney	Team Competition
Bronze	1992 Barcelona	Team Competition
FIBA World Championship
Gold	1990 Malaysia	Team Competition
Pan American Games
Gold	1987 USA	Team Competition
Bronze	1991 Havana	Team Competition

After Edwards graduated, she went abroad as there was not a professional basketball league for women in the United States. She played abroad for nine seasons splitting time between Italy, Japan, Spain, and France (Tarbes and Valenciennes). During this time, she also continued to appear in international competition.

After the 1994 season, she stayed in the United States to train for her fourth Olympic appearance at the 1996 Summer Olympics.^[4] Edwards was selected to take the competitors' oath at the Opening Ceremonies in Atlanta (the opening ceremonies took place on her 32nd birthday). She was named the 1996 Sportswoman of the Year (in the team category) by the Women's Sports Foundation.^[5]

Edwards is the first basketball player -- male or female -- to have played in five Olympics. She competed for the United States in international competition a total of 19 times. Her teams won 14 gold medals.

She also holds the unique distinction of being in the youngest gold medalist in women's basketball (age 20 in 1984) and the oldest gold medalist in women's basketball (age 36 in 2000).

She made a record fifth Olympic basketball team, earning a fourth gold medal to go with her bronze medal. She returned to Europe in 2002.

Edwards was a member of the 1987 gold medal winning USA Women's Pan American Team in Indiana,^[6] and the 1991 bronze medal winning team in Havana, Cuba.^[7]

She also holds the record for points in a women's basketball game in the United States with 46.

[edit] Vital statistics

• Position: Guard
• Height: 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)
• College: University of Georgia
• Team(s): Minnesota Lynx

[edit] Awards and Honors

• 2010 Women's Basketball Hall of Fame ^[8]
• 2009-2012 USA Basketball Board of Directors^[9]

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• IOC 1996 Summer Olympics
• WNBA Player Profile
• WNBA trivia page celebrating her 40th birthday
• USA Basketball Player Biography
• Profile from Sports Illustrated "100 Greatest Female Athletes of the 20th Century"
• Georgia Sports Hall of Fame