Simone Edwards, Former Seattle Storm Center, Dies At 49
Former WNBA center Simone Edwards has died following a years long battle with ovarian cancer.
According to ESPN, Edwards, the first Jamaican WNBA player, endured a two-year battle with stage 4 ovarian cancer, as news of her passing became public on Friday (Feb. 17). She played as a center for the Seattle Storm and Iowa Hawkeyes.
Edwards, standing 6-foot-4, was a dynamic track star in Jamaica before making her way to the United States for basketball. Her track presence was so impressive that she earned the nickname “Jamaican Hurricane.”
The Seattle Storm shared the sad news and condolences via Twitter.
“We are saddened by the passing of our very own Simone Edwards,” the Storm tweeted Thursday evening. “Our Jamaican Hurricane was a warrior on & off the court. With her indefatigable energy & optimism, she brought happiness to so many. Our thoughts & condolences are with Simone’s family and loved ones at this time.”
RELATED: Former NFL Defensive Back Stanley Wilson Jr. Dies After Collapsing At Mental Health Facility
She was discovered by an American basketball coach and played ball for Oklahoma before transferring to Iowa during her junior year to help lead the 1996 team to a Big Ten championship, then a Big Ten tournament title the following year.
During her six-year stint in the WNBA, Edwards averaged 5.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. She was a part of the Storm team that won the Seattle organization their first WNBA finals championship. At age 32, she retired from the league before playing a few years of overseas ball.
Post-playing, coaching basketball became her calling, serving as a coach for the Jamaican national team before coaching at the college level for Radford and George Mason.
Edwards’ contributions to Jamaica continued, as she worked with youth programs, including Simone4Children (S4C), a non-profit foundation founded in 2000 to provide “year-round educational support, self-esteem, mentoring and anti-bullying programs to underprivileged children in Jamaica.
Edwards was a major team player. Even during injuries, she didn’t focus on the negative, instead, she asked herself: “What else can I do to help my teammates?”
“So I would tell any young athlete that if it’s an injury or whatever it is that’s bothering you, don’t dwell on it. Don’t dwell on the problem, dwell on the solution,” she said during a 2022 interview.
