James Edwards (basketball)

James Franklin Edwards (born November 22, 1955) is an American retired professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Buddha" for his appearance (he often sported a Fu Manchu mustache) and stoic demeanor, the 7'1" Edwards, though he never appeared in an All-Star Game, was a reliable low-post scorer, averaging 12.7 points per game over his career.

James Edwards
Edwards in 1987
Personal information
Born (1955-11-22) November 22, 1955
Seattle, Washington
NationalityAmerican
Listed height7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
Listed weight252 lb (114 kg)
Career information
High schoolRoosevelt (Seattle, Washington)
CollegeWashington (1973–1977)
NBA draft1977 / Round: 3 / Pick: 46th overall
Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers
Playing career1977–1996
PositionCenter
Number42, 40, 53
Career history
1977Los Angeles Lakers
1977–1981Indiana Pacers
1981–1983Cleveland Cavaliers
1983–1988Phoenix Suns
1988–1991Detroit Pistons
1991–1992Los Angeles Clippers
1992–1994Los Angeles Lakers
1994–1995Portland Trail Blazers
1995–1996Chicago Bulls
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points14,862 (12.7 ppg)
Rebounds6,004 (5.1 rpg)
Blocks867 (0.7 bpg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

He retired with 14,862 career points and 6,004 career rebounds.

Early years

Born in Seattle, Washington, Edwards starred at Roosevelt High School, where he led the Roughriders to the state title in 1973. He went on to play for the hometown University of Washington Huskies under coach Marv Harshman. For his college career, between 1973 and 1977, Edwards averaged 14.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.[1]

NBA career

Edwards played 19 years (1977–1996) in the National Basketball Association, playing both the center and power forward positions.

Los Angeles Lakers

Edwards was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers on June 10, 1977 and made his NBA debut on October 18. [2] He had a strong start to his rookie season, averaging 14.8 points and 7.2 rebounds before being traded later in the season.

Indiana Pacers

Edwards was then traded to the Indiana Pacers in 1977, where he enjoyed arguably his most productive statistical years. He averaged 15.9 points during his four years with the franchise.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Edwards spent parts of two seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, averaging 16.0 points and 7.4 rebounds during his brief time there.

Phoenix Suns

Edwards was then traded to the Phoenix Suns in 1983, where he played for parts of six seasons. With the Suns he continued to be a key contributor, averaging 14.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

Drug investigation

In April of 1987, Edwards, along with Jay Humphries and Grant Gondrezick, was indicted by a Maricopa County, Arizona, grand jury investigating cocaine trafficking. Edwards was indicted on three counts, conspiracy to possess a narcotic drug, conspiracy to transfer a narcotic drug, and conspiracy to transfer or possess marijuana [3]. Former Suns player Walter Davis was involved and was offered immunity in exchange for testimony, but his testimony failed to reveal critical details. Edwards, along with all other defendants, never went to trial, but was required to undergo a drug counseling program as settlement [4].

Detroit Pistons

Edwards played four seasons with the Detroit Pistons. He was a key member of the 1989 and 1990 NBA champion Detroit Pistons' Bad Boys squads, starting most of the team's games in 1990. He averaged 11.2 points and 3.6 rebounds as a Piston.

Later career

After his title runs with the Pistons, Edwards was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers before the 1991-92 season, where he spent one season. He then signed with the Lakers for a second stint, spending two seasons with the team that drafted him. This was followed by one season each of limited action with the Portland Trail Blazers and the Chicago Bulls. With the Bulls, Edwards won a third championship in the 19th and final season of his career in 1996, where he saw limited playing time off the bench.

NBA career statistics
Legend
  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
 †  Won an NBA championship

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1977–78 L.A. Lakers 25–28.9.459–.6407.21.20.61.114.8
1977–78 Indiana 58–29.0.450–.6497.51.00.60.915.4
1978–79 Indiana 82–31.0.501–.6768.51.10.71.316.7
1979–80 Indiana 82–28.2.512.000.6817.01.50.71.315.7
1980–81 Indiana 81–29.3.509.000.7037.02.60.41.615.6
1981–82 Cleveland 777533.0.511.000.6847.51.60.31.516.7
1982–83 Cleveland 15825.5.487–.6236.40.90.50.912.3
1982–83 Phoenix 16117.8.487–.6603.71.70.30.38.8
1983–84 Phoenix 726726.3.536.000.7204.82.60.30.414.7
1984–85 Phoenix 705825.5.501.000.7465.52.20.40.714.9
1985–86 Phoenix 525125.3.542–.7025.81.40.40.616.3
1986–87 Phoenix 14921.7.518–.7714.31.40.40.512.0
1987–88 Phoenix 434232.0.469.000.6357.81.70.30.715.7
1987–88 Detroit 26212.6.475–.7383.00.20.10.25.4
1988–89† Detroit 76116.5.500.000.6863.00.60.10.47.3
1989–90† Detroit 827027.8.498.000.7494.20.80.30.514.5
1990–91 Detroit 727026.4.484.500.7293.80.90.20.413.6
1991–92 L.A. Clippers 721120.0.465.000.7312.80.70.30.59.7
1992–93 L.A. Lakers 52011.9.452–.7121.90.80.20.16.3
1993–94 L.A. Lakers 45210.4.464–.6841.40.50.10.14.7
1994–95 Portland 2809.5.386–.6471.50.30.20.32.7
1995–96† Chicago 2809.8.373–.6151.40.40.00.33.5
Career 1,16846724.3.495.048.6985.11.30.40.712.7

Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1981 Indiana 2–28.0.292––7.02.50.50.57.0
1983 Phoenix 3–18.0.423–1.0006.01.30.30.39.3
1984 Phoenix 17–27.2.492–.7065.41.60.20.613.8
1988 Detroit 22214.0.509.000.6593.10.50.10.56.3
1989† Detroit 17018.6.471.000.7842.10.70.10.57.1
1990† Detroit 202026.8.494.000.6043.60.70.30.614.3
1991 Detroit 151123.0.407–.6912.50.60.10.210.7
1992 L.A. Clippers 5017.4.417–.6322.60.60.20.26.4
1993 L.A. Lakers 304.7.750––0.70.00.00.02.0
1995 Portland 104.0.000––0.00.00.00.00.0
1996† Chicago 604.7.444–.7500.70.00.00.01.8
Career 1113319.9.468.000.6823.20.80.20.49.3

See also

References
  1. "James Edwards". Sports Reference. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  2. https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/e/edwarja01.html
  3. https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/18/sports/3-suns-players-are-indicted-in-drug-investigation.html
  4. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1066773/1/index.htm
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