Teresa Edwards Inducted Into Basketball Hall Of Fame On Strength Of Four Olympic Gold Medals

Teresa Edwards might not be the most well-known member of the 2011 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class, but the women’s basketball star certainly deserved the honor. Edwards owns 14 total gold medals from various international competitions while competing with Team USA, though the most impressive came while competing at the Olympics.

Edwards is currently in her first season as head coach of the WNBA’s Tulsa Shock after retiring from the league in 2005, but her basketball success spans a career much longer than the WNBA’s existence.

Edwards played her college basketball at the University of Georgia, becoming a two-time All-American during his stint as a Bulldog in the mid-80s, before going on to play professionally in Europe prior to a two-year stint with the Minnesota Lynx beginning in 2003.

Though Edwards’ professional career was seemingly outstanding, her time representing Team USA seems to be more impressive. Edwards helped the United States win gold medals in the 1984, 1988, 1996 and 200 Olympics as well as earning a Bronze medal in the 1992 Olympics to increase her total medal count to five.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is the most recent honor Edwards has received, but the basketball star is no stranger to Hall of Fames as the Springfield ceremony will be the seventh time she’s earned such an honor. Previously, she was inducted into the University of Georgia’s Circle of Honor, the State of Georgia’s Sports Hall of Fame, the National High School Sports Hall of Fame, the Grady County (Ga.) Sports Hall of Game, the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame last year.