Jesse Edwards (basketball)

Jesse David Edwards (born 18 March 2000) is a Dutch professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a  two-way contract with the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange and the West Virginia Mountaineers. Standing at 2.12m, he plays the center position. He also plays for the Netherlands men's national basketball team.

Early life and high school career
Edwards was born in Amsterdam to a Dutch mother and a British father. He grew up with two siblings. He started playing basketball at age 14 and later joined the youth section of Apollo Amsterdam. After graduating Amsterdams Lyceum high school in the Netherlands, he went on to play on the Post Grad team for IMG Academy, a boarding school in Bradenton, Florida.

Recruiting
Edwards received offers by Georgia Tech and Providence, among others. He committed to playing college basketball for Syracuse in April 2019.

College career
Edwards averaged 2.4 points and 1.7 rebounds per game as a freshman. As a sophomore, he averaged 1.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. On 5 December 2021, he recorded his first career double-double, after recording 11 points and 12 rebounds against Florida State. On 8 February 2022, Edwards broke his left wrist during a game against Boston College, ending his season. He averaged 12 points and 6.5 rebounds per game as a junior, shooting 69.5 percent. In the 2022–23 season, Edwards averaged 14.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game, shooting 59.2 percent.

In April 2023, Edwards transferred to West Virginia.

Professional career
After going undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft, Edwards signed a two-way contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves on 9 July 2024.

National team career
In July 2021, Edwards joined the training camp of the Netherlands senior team for the first time, along with his brother Kai. He was selected for the qualification games of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. On 2 July 2022, Edwards debuted in a 66–67 away loss against Iceland in which he had six points, seven rebounds, and two blocks in ten minutes of playing time.

In August 2022, Edwards rejoined the national team to participate in international competitions which includes World Cup qualifying and the Eurobasket. He was on the 12-man roster for EuroBasket 2022.

Personal life
His older brother Kai also plays basketball, currently plays for Landstede Hammers and played college basketball for Northern Colorado from 2016 to 2020.