Introduction
James Franklin Edwards (born November 22, 1955) is an American retired professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Buddha" for his appearance (he often sported a Fu Manchu mustache) and stoic demeanor, the 7'1" Edwards, though he never appeared in an All-Star Game, was a reliable low-post scorer, averaging 12.7 points per game over his career.
He retired with 14,862 career points and 6,004 career rebounds.
Early years
Born in Seattle, Washington, Edwards starred at Roosevelt High School, where he led the Roughriders to their first ever state title in 1973. He went on to star for the hometown University of Washington Huskies under coach Marv Harshman. At the core of some exciting Harshman-coached teams from 1973 to 1977, Edwards averaged 14.6 points during his four years for the Huskies.
NBA career
Edwards played 19 years (1977–1996) in the National Basketball Association, playing both the center and power forward positions.
Los Angeles Lakers/Indiana Pacers
Edwards was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers on June 10, 1977 and made his NBA debut on October 18.He had a strong start to his rookie season, averaging 14.8 points and 7.2 rebounds before being traded later in the season. Edwards was then traded to the Indiana Pacers in 1977, where he enjoyed arguably his most productive statistical years. He averaged 15.9 points during his four years with the franchise.
Cleveland Cavaliers/Phoenix Suns
Edwards spent parts of two seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, averaging 16.0 points and 7.4 rebounds during his brief time there. Edwards was then traded to the Phoenix Suns in 1983, where he played for parts of six seasons. With the Suns he continued to be a key contributor, averaging 14.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
Detroit Pistons
Edwards is probably most remembered for his three seasons with the Detroit Pistons. He was a key member of the 1989 and 1990 NBA champion Detroit Pistons' Bad Boys squads, starting most of the team's games in 1990. Edwards was known for his turn-around fadeaway jump shot that was difficult to block, as well as for contributing to the intimidating toughness that characterized the Bad Boys. He averaged 11.2 points and 3.6 rebounds as a Piston.
Later career
After his title runs with the Pistons, Edwards was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers before the 1991-92 season, where he spent one season. He then signed with the Lakers for a second stint, spending two seasons with the team that drafted him. This was followed by one season each of limited action with the Portland Trail Blazers and the Chicago Bulls. With the Bulls, Edwards won a third championship in the 19th and final season of his career in 1996, where he saw limited playing time off the bench.
NBA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| † | Denotes seasons in which Edwards won an NBA championship |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977–78 | L.A. Lakers | 25 | – | 28.9 | .459 | – | .640 | 7.2 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 14.8 |
| 1977–78 | Indiana | 58 | – | 29.0 | .450 | – | .649 | 7.5 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 15.4 |
| 1978–79 | Indiana | 82 | – | 31.0 | .501 | – | .676 | 8.5 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 16.7 |
| 1979–80 | Indiana | 82 | – | 28.2 | .512 | .000 | .681 | 7.0 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 15.7 |
| 1980–81 | Indiana | 81 | – | 29.3 | .509 | .000 | .703 | 7.0 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 15.6 |
| 1981–82 | Cleveland | 77 | 75 | 33.0 | .511 | .000 | .684 | 7.5 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 16.7 |
| 1982–83 | Cleveland | 15 | 8 | 25.5 | .487 | – | .623 | 6.4 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 12.3 |
| 1982–83 | Phoenix | 16 | 1 | 17.8 | .487 | – | .660 | 3.7 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 8.8 |
| 1983–84 | Phoenix | 72 | 67 | 26.3 | .536 | .000 | .720 | 4.8 | 2.6 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 14.7 |
| 1984–85 | Phoenix | 70 | 58 | 25.5 | .501 | .000 | .746 | 5.5 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 14.9 |
| 1985–86 | Phoenix | 52 | 51 | 25.3 | .542 | – | .702 | 5.8 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 16.3 |
| 1986–87 | Phoenix | 14 | 9 | 21.7 | .518 | – | .771 | 4.3 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 12.0 |
| 1987–88 | Phoenix | 43 | 42 | 32.0 | .469 | .000 | .635 | 7.8 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 15.7 |
| 1987–88 | Detroit | 26 | 2 | 12.6 | .475 | – | .738 | 3.0 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 5.4 |
| 1988–89† | Detroit | 76 | 1 | 16.5 | .500 | .000 | .686 | 3.0 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 7.3 |
| 1989–90† | Detroit | 82 | 70 | 27.8 | .498 | .000 | .749 | 4.2 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 14.5 |
| 1990–91 | Detroit | 72 | 70 | 26.4 | .484 | .500 | .729 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 13.6 |
| 1991–92 | L.A. Clippers | 72 | 11 | 20.0 | .465 | .000 | .731 | 2.8 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 9.7 |
| 1992–93 | L.A. Lakers | 52 | 0 | 11.9 | .452 | – | .712 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 6.3 |
| 1993–94 | L.A. Lakers | 45 | 2 | 10.4 | .464 | – | .684 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 4.7 |
| 1994–95 | Portland | 28 | 0 | 9.5 | .386 | – | .647 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 2.7 |
| 1995–96† | Chicago | 28 | 0 | 9.8 | .373 | – | .615 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 3.5 |
| Career | 1,168 | 467 | 24.3 | .495 | .048 | .698 | 5.1 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 12.7 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Indiana | 2 | – | 28.0 | .292 | – | – | 7.0 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 7.0 |
| 1983 | Phoenix | 3 | – | 18.0 | .423 | – | 1.000 | 6.0 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 9.3 |
| 1984 | Phoenix | 17 | – | 27.2 | .492 | – | .706 | 5.4 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 13.8 |
| 1988 | Detroit | 22 | 2 | 14.0 | .509 | .000 | .659 | 3.1 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 6.3 |
| 1989† | Detroit | 17 | 0 | 18.6 | .471 | .000 | .784 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 7.1 |
| 1990† | Detroit | 20 | 20 | 26.8 | .494 | .000 | .604 | 3.6 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 14.3 |
| 1991 | Detroit | 15 | 11 | 23.0 | .407 | – | .691 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 10.7 |
| 1992 | L.A. Clippers | 5 | 0 | 17.4 | .417 | – | .632 | 2.6 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 6.4 |
| 1993 | L.A. Lakers | 3 | 0 | 4.7 | .750 | – | – | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
| 1995 | Portland | 1 | 0 | 4.0 | .000 | – | – | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 1996† | Chicago | 6 | 0 | 4.7 | .444 | – | .750 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.8 |
| Career | 111 | 33 | 19.9 | .468 | .000 | .682 | 3.2 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 9.3 | |