Kessler Donovan Edwards (born August 9, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Texas Legends of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Pepperdine Waves.
_(cropped).jpg) Edwards with the Brooklyn Nets in 2022 | |
| No. 20 – Dallas Mavericks | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | August 9, 2000 Glendale, California, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 203 lb (92 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga, California) |
| College | Pepperdine (2018–2021) |
| NBA draft | 2021: 2nd round, 44th overall pick |
| Selected by the Brooklyn Nets | |
| Playing career | 2021–present |
| Career history | |
| 2021–2023 | Brooklyn Nets |
| 2021–2023 | →Long Island Nets |
| 2023–2024 | Sacramento Kings |
| 2024 | →Stockton Kings |
| 2024–present | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2024–present | →Texas Legends |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
High school career
editEdwards played basketball for Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California. As a junior, he averaged 17 points and nine rebounds per game, earning First Team All-Baseline League honors.[1] Edwards averaged 21.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game as a senior and was named Baseline League MVP.[2] He competed for Prodigy Elite on the Amateur Athletic Union circuit.[3] A consensus three-star recruit, he committed to playing college basketball for Pepperdine.[4]
College career
editAs a freshman at Pepperdine, Edwards averaged 10 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He was a WCC All-Freshman Team selection.[5] As a sophomore, Edwards averaged 13.8 points and a team-leading 7.5 rebounds per game. He was named to the Second Team All-WCC.[6] On January 21, 2021, he recorded a career-high 37 points and 11 rebounds in an 85–68 win over Pacific.[7] He led Pepperdine to the College Basketball Invitational title and was named MVP.[8] As a junior, Edwards averaged 17.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, earning First Team All-WCC recognition. On April 23, 2021, he declared for the 2021 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility.[9] He later signed with BDA and WME Sports, forgoing his remaining eligibility.[10]
Professional career
editBrooklyn Nets (2021–2023)
editEdwards was selected in the second round of the 2021 NBA draft with the 44th pick by the Brooklyn Nets,[11] and was later included in the roster of the Nets for the 2021 NBA Summer League.[12] On August 16, he signed a two-way contract with the Nets. Under the terms of the deal, he split time between Brooklyn and their NBA G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets.[13] On April 10, 2022, Edwards's deal was promoted to a standard contract.[14]
On July 6, 2022, Edwards re-signed with the Nets to a reported two-year contract.[15][16]
Sacramento Kings (2023–2024)
editOn February 8, 2023, Edwards and cash considerations were traded to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for the draft rights to David Michineau.[17]
Dallas Mavericks (2024–present)
editOn August 27, 2024, Edwards signed a two-way contract with the Dallas Mavericks.[18]
Career statistics
edit| 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 |
NBA
editRegular season
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | Brooklyn | 48 | 23 | 20.6 | .412 | .353 | .842 | 3.6 | .6 | .6 | .5 | 5.9 |
| 2022–23 | Brooklyn | 14 | 1 | 5.7 | .250 | .167 | .500 | 1.0 | .1 | .2 | .1 | 1.1 |
| Sacramento | 22 | 3 | 13.9 | .435 | .349 | .769 | 2.1 | 1.0 | .5 | .2 | 3.9 | |
| 2023–24 | Sacramento | 54 | 0 | 5.1 | .415 | .385 | .556 | .8 | .3 | .2 | .1 | 1.7 |
| Career | 138 | 27 | 11.9 | .407 | .350 | .744 | 2.0 | .5 | .4 | .2 | 3.5 | |
Play-in
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Brooklyn | 1 | 0 | 7.6 | .000 | .000 | — | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| 2024 | Sacramento | 1 | 0 | 2.2 | — | — | — | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Career | 2 | 0 | 4.9 | .000 | .000 | — | .5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | |
Playoffs
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Brooklyn | 2 | 0 | 3.5 | — | — | — | .0 | .5 | .5 | .0 | .0 |
| 2023 | Sacramento | 6 | 0 | 1.2 | — | — | — | .2 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Career | 8 | 0 | 1.8 | — | — | — | .1 | .1 | .1 | .0 | .0 | |
College
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | Pepperdine | 34 | 27 | 28.8 | .438 | .370 | .694 | 5.4 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 9.8 |
| 2019–20 | Pepperdine | 31 | 31 | 32.7 | .471 | .437 | .761 | 7.4 | 1.5 | .9 | 1.8 | 13.6 |
| 2020–21 | Pepperdine | 27 | 26 | 33.9 | .491 | .378 | .876 | 6.8 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 17.2 |
| Career | 92 | 84 | 31.6 | .469 | .395 | .789 | 6.5 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 13.3 | |
Personal life
editEdwards's older brother, Kameron, played college basketball for Pepperdine before embarking on a professional career.[19]
References
edit- ^ Marshall, Pete (April 12, 2017). "All-area boys basketball: Chino Hills' LiAngelo Ball is Player of the year". The San Bernardino Sun. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ Gardner, Michelle (April 12, 2018). "Onyeka Okongwu named 2018 Bulletin/Sun All-Area Basketball Player of the Year". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ Ugland, Devin (July 20, 2017). "Recruiting Report: Kessler Edwards (2018)". Prep Hoops. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- ^ Resendiz, Jacob (August 26, 2018). "Dream Realized: Edwards Brothers Play Together on Pepperdine's Mens Basketball Team". The Graphic. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ "Pepperdine's Edwards Invited to USA Basketball U19 Camp". West Coast Conference. May 23, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- ^ Burgess, Jason (June 19, 2020). "WCC Basketball: Breakout candidates from each team for 2020-21 season". Busting Brackets. FanSided. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ "Former Etiwanda star Kessler Edwards is having fine season for Pepperdine; will he be in NBA some day?". Fontana Herald News. February 9, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ Jackson, McKenzie (March 30, 2021). "Pepperdine Men's Basketball Wins CBI Title". The Malibu Times. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ Givony, Jonathan (April 23, 2021). "Pepperdine's Kessler Edwards declaring for 2021 NBA draft". ESPN. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- ^ Vault Jr., Jacoby (June 30, 2021). "BDA and WME Signs Kessler Edwards". Sports Agent Blog. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
- ^ "Ex-Etiwanda High School star Kessler Edwards is chosen by Brooklyn Nets in NBA draft". Fontana Herald News. July 30, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
- ^ "Brooklyn Nets announce summer League roster". NBA.com. August 3, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
- ^ "BROOKLYN NETS SIGN KESSLER EDWARDS TO TWO-WAY CONTRACT". NBA.com. August 16, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
- ^ "Brooklyn Nets Sign Kessler Edwards". NBA.com. April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
- ^ "Brooklyn Nets Re-sign Kessler Edwards". NBA.com. July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
- ^ Milholen, Chris (July 6, 2022). "Nets re-sign Kessler Edwards to reported two-year deal with team option". NetsDaily. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
- ^ "Kings Complete Trade With Brooklyn Nets". NBA.com. February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
- ^ "MAVERICKS SIGN KESSLER EDWARDS TO TWO-WAY CONTRACT". NBA.com. August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ "50 for 50 Spotlight: Kameron Edwards". Pepperdine Caruso School of Law. April 20, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.