Simone ‘Jamaican Hurricane’ Edwards is named Celebrity Spokesperson for National Caribbean American Heritage Month 2019

The First Caribbean WNBA Player Simone Edwards has signed on as National Spokesperson for Caribbean American Heritage Month 2019, reprising a role she first played in 2017.

Simone ‘Jamaican Hurricane’ Edwards  is named Celebrity Spokesperson for National Caribbean American Heritage Month 2019

Simone Ann-Marie Edwards (born 17 November 1973) is a female basketball player who played for the New York Liberty and the Seattle Storm and was the first Caribbean and first Jamaican player in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). The 6’4″ Edwards center is known to fans as the “Jamaican Hurricane.”

Like some other Caribbean-born players such as Tim Duncan, Edwards did not play basketball in high school. She was spotted by an American college basketball coach after competing in a track meet in Jamaica. She first garnered attention on the court during junior college, at Seminole State College in Seminole, Oklahoma, leading the team to an undefeated conference record, ranking in the National Junior College Athletic Association Top 10. During her tenure, she was the recipient of several top sports awards and became the First Kodak All-American in the school’s history. In 1996-97, she led the University of Iowa Hawkeyes in field-goal percentage (.557) during her senior season.

Edwards was one of three players picked out of over 300 athlete at a NY Liberty tryout camp. As a developmental player by the New York Liberty in 1997, but never saw a game until signing on with the newly inaugurated Storm in 2000. She was the only player to be a part of the team for every game of its first six seasons, and became a KeyArena fan favorite for her ebullient personality and cheerleading when not in the game. Edwards won a WNBA championship with the Seattle Storm in 2004.

Some Career Highlights

  • 1993: Recruited to University of Iowa NCAA Division 
  • 1997: WNBA First Jamaican Player
  • 1997: Signed to New York Liberty WNBA Team
  • 2000: Signed to Seattle Storm Inaugural WNBA Team
  • 2004: WNBA Championship – Seattle Storm
  • 2005: Inducted in Seminole State College Hall of Fame
  • 2005: The Women’s Day Award from International Women’s Day Committee (Italy)
  • 2006: Second in Seattle Storm History in Most Points Scored (676)2006: Retired from Seattle Storm as last original player on the inaugural Storm roster
  • 2006: Caribbean Basketball Confederation Championship, Jamaica Basketball Women’s National Team – Gold Medal (Team Captain)
  • 2007: Most Points Scored Award for Federation of International Basketball (FIBA)
  • 2008: Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach – George Mason University NCAA Division I (2008-2011)
  • 2010: Member of the Seattle Storm All-Decade Team
  • 2010: Centrobasket Championship – Silver Medal (Head Coach)
  • 2010: RJR Sports Foundation Special Award recognizing contribution to development of Women’s Basketball
  • 2014: Caribbean Basketball Confederation Championship – Gold Medal (Head Coach)
  • 2015: RJR Sports Foundation Merit Award
  • 2015: Starred in Award-Winning Documentary Feature Film “Coming Back To The Hoop”
  • 2015: Founded The Anti-Bully Project
  • 2015: Featured on Real Housewives of Atlanta
  • 2016: Selected NCAA Women’s Basketball Ambassador
  • 2017: Co-founded Diverse Writers Room
  • 2017: Published Unstoppable: A Memoir of Adversity, Perseverance & Triumph

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