Simone Edwards

Simone Edwards

Edwards in 2006
Radford Highlanders
Position Assistant Coach
Personal information
Born (1973-11-17) November 17, 1973
Kingston, Jamaica
Nationality Jamaican
Listed height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight 164 lb (74 kg)
Career information
College Iowa

Simone Ann-Marie Edwards (born 17 November 1973) is a female basketball player who played for the Seattle Storm and the first Jamaican-born player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The 6'4" Edwards center is known to fans as the "Jamaican Hurricane."

Like some other Caribbean-born players such as Tim Duncan, Edwards did not play basketball in high school. She was spotted by coach Gary Hudson from the University of Oklahoma after competing in a track meet in Jamaica. In 1996-97, she led the Hawkeyes in field-goal percentage (.557) during her senior season.

Edwards was one of three players picked out of over 300 athlete at a NY Liberty tryout camp. As a developmental player by the New York Liberty in 1997, but never saw a game until signing on with the newly inaugurated Storm in 2000. She was the only player to be a part of the team for every game of its first six seasons, and became a KeyArena fan favorite for her ebullient personality and cheerleading when not in the game. Edwards won a WNBA championship with the Seattle Storm in 2004.

On May 19, 2006, just prior to the start of the 2006 WNBA season, Edwards announced her retirement from the WNBA, severing the last on-court link with the Storm's debut season. She retired as the team's all-time leader in rebounds, and games and minutes played.

From 1997-2007, Edwards played professional basketball in Europe and Israel. Edwards coached the Jamaican women's national basketball team and led them to a 2014 Caribbean Championship.

On August 5, 2007, she was hired as an assistant coach at Radford University. Edwards was an assistant at George Mason University from 2008-2011.

To date, Edwards founded Simi Fitness, and has become a well-known celebrity fitness trainer.

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