West Virginia basketball fans who keep up with the NBA might have recognized a familiar face on Sunday.
During the Minnesota Timberwolves' 116-98 win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, former Mountaineer center Jesse Edwards made his NBA debut.
Congrats to @jesseedwards_14, who made his NBA debut last night with the @Timberwolves 👏 pic.twitter.com/uJppCOLSAC
— WVU Men's Basketball (@WVUhoops) March 3, 2025
Edwards certainly wished that his NBA debut saw a little more success. Edwards only played 1.6 minutes of the contest and did not record a point, rebound, or assist.
The 24-year-old was averaging 12.2 points per game with the Iowa Wolves of the G League before making his NBA debut on Sunday. Edwards has also added 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting a very solid 62% from the field for the Wolves.
Edwards played at WVU during the 2023-2024 season under interim head coach Josh Eilert. During his lone season in Morgantown, the 6’11” center averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds per game. Playing in 23 games while starting in 22 of them, Edwards shot 61.3% from the field during the 2024-2025 season.
In addition to Edwards, the Mountaineers are well-represented in the NBA during the 2024-2025 season. Three former WVU players have now registered minutes in the NBA season -- Jevon Carter, Miles McBride, and Jesse Edwards.
This ties 2021 with the most representation by former WVU basketball players in the NBA, when Carter, McBride, and Jaysean Paige all registered minutes. McBride is currently in the midst of what is shaping up to be the best season of his NBA career.
3 Mountaineers have logged NBA minutes this season, tying the 21-22 season (JC, Deuce, and Jaysean) for the most WVU guys getting NBA minutes in the same season in my lifetime.
— Unreasonable Doubt (@ImJoshWhitt) March 3, 2025
If Erik can log minutes for the Wizards, the 24-25 season will stand alone.
What a time to be alive. https://t.co/OtqYbHjo5d
Even though it did not go the way that Edwards probably would have liked to perform in his NBA debut, even just making the roster is a difficult challenge to overcome. Fellow Mountaineer Erik Stevenson, who earned his first NBA contract with Washington a few weeks ago, has yet to appear in a game for the Wizards. If Stevenson can register minutes this season, it will stand as a new record for most appearances by former WVU players in a single season.
Meanwhile, WVU fans are hoping to see Edwards get a real shot at making a positive impact on the Timberwolves during their playoff hunt -- Minnesota currently sits in ninth place in the Western Conference.