Teresa Edwards

At 59 years old, Teresa Edwards has this physical status:

Teresa Edwards (born July 19, 1964) is an American former women's basketball player and four-time Olympic gold medalist. In 2000, Sports Illustrated magazine ranked her 22nd among the "100 Greatest Female Athletes of the 20th Century."

She attended and graduated from the University of Georgia. Edwards was named chef de mission for the 2012 Olympic Games by the US Olympic Committee.

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ABL career

Edwards was the star player and head coach for the Atlanta Glory of the American Basketball League (ABL). She appeared in the ABL's inaugural game against the San Jose Lasers, which was won by the Lasers 78–70. In 1998, she was traded to the Philadelphia Rage.

WNBA career

The Lynx selected Edwards despite being 38 years old, during the 2003 WNBA Draft, at the request of Minnesota Lynx head coach Suzie McConnell Serio. Edwards and Serio were teammates on the women's basketball team during the Summer Olympics of 1988 and 1992.

Edwards appeared for the Lynx in 2003 and 2004. Her employment ended and she became a free agent afterward. However, no other WNBA team has extended her a deal for the 2005 season.

Edwards returned to Lynx as an assistant coach in December 2006.

Edwards served as an analyst for NBC Sports coverage of Basketball during the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Edwards was appointed as assistant coach of the Tulsa Shock in 2011. After Nolan Richardson resigned on July 9, 2011, she would later become the interim head coach.

Edwards was hired as the assistant coach by the Atlanta Dream on March 4, 2014.

International career

Edwards spent nine seasons in Vicenza, Nagoya-Japan, Spain, Spain, (Dorna Godella), and France (Tarbes and Valenciennes). She also began to compete internationally during this time.

She stayed in the United States to prepare for her fourth Olympic appearance at the 1996 Summer Olympics after the 1994 season. Edwards was selected to take the oath at the Opening Ceremonies in Atlanta (on her 32nd birthday). The Women's Sports Foundation named her 1996 Sportswoman of the Year (in the team category) in honor of her contribution to the sport.

A total of 19 times she competed for the United States in international competition. Her teams also received 14 gold medals.

The United States sent its National Team to Taipei, Taiwan, in 1984 for pre-Olympic training. The team dominated each of the eight teams they played, winning by an average of just under 50 points per game. Edwards scored at 5.5 points per game.

Edwards is the first female basketball player to have competed in five Olympics. She is jointly with Australian Andrew Gaze as the third basketball player to play in five Olympics, alongside Puerto Rican Teófilo Cruz and Brazilian Oscar Schmidt.

She also has the distinction of being the youngest gold medalist in women's basketball (age 20 in 1984) and the oldest gold medalist in women's basketball (age 36 in 2000).

She won her fourth gold medal on her way to compete with her bronze medal on her fifth Olympic team, gaining her fourth gold medal to go with her bronze medal. In 2002, she returned to Europe.

Edwards was selected to compete for the United States in Taipei, Taiwan, at the 1987 William Jones Cup Championship. To win the gold medal for the tournament, the team won all seven games. Edwards led the team in scoring against China with 23 points. The United States secured the gold medal game by a single point over South Korea, aided by Edwards' important free throws with a minute remaining in the game. She was the team's second top scorer with 12.4 points per game through the seven games, and was selected to the all-tournament squad. Edwards was also named to the Jones Cup team in 1988. The USA team was not as strong as expected with a 3–2 record, but it was enough to win the silver medal. She averaged 15.4 points per game to lead her team in scoring.

Edwards was a member of the 1988 gold medal-winning USA Women's Pan American Team in Indiana, as well as the 1991 bronze medal-winning team in Havana, Cuba.

Edwards competed for the USA National Team in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1990. The team won their first three games with a 27-point victory over Czechoslovakia, the closest of the first three games. They met Cuba, a team that had defeated the United States in exhibition matches only a few weeks ago. At halftime, the USA team was losing but the team came back to win 87–78. Edwards scored 32 points on four of her five three-point attempts, as well as five steals. In their next game, the USA team found itself behind at halftime to Canada, but they won by a convincing 95–70. The USA squad played Czechoslovakia again, defeating 87–59 after a quick match against Bulgaria. The USA team captured the gold medal in the title match with a score of 88-78. Edwards led the team in scoring and assists, scoring 21.9 points per game and receiving 24 assists for the occasion.

Edwards was selected to the USA national team and competed in the 1994 World Championships in Sydney, Australia. When the team faced Brazil, they were coached by Tara VanDerveer and won their first six games. Brazil won by 110-107 after a close, high-scoring match. The United States defeated Australia 100-95 in a close final game to earn the bronze medal. Edwards had the second highest scoring average on the team, scoring 12.7 points per game.

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Awards and honors

• 2001: Georgia Sports Hall of Fame
• 2010: Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
• 2009–2012: USA Basketball Board of Directors
• 2011: Inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
• 2011: NCAA Silver Anniversary Award
• 2013: FIBA Hall of Fame