The injury bug has bitten the Washington Mystics at training camp, and hard. One day after announcing that Georgia Amoore, the No. 6 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, suffered a left ACL injury, the team shared that Aaliyah Edwards will also be sidelined.
Another young WNBA star has suffered a training camp injury
Aaliyah Edwards joins Georgia Amoore as young Mystics stars who have already suffered injuries at training camp.
Photo by John McDonnell/ for The Washington Post via Getty Images
Noa Dalzell is a senior writer covering the WNBA and all of women’s basketball for Breakaway, SB Nation’s women’s sports vertical, as well as the Celtics for CelticsBlog.
Edwards, the No. 6 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, has been diagnosed with a lower back contusion, per the Mystics. The team announced she’ll be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images
Edwards had a solid rookie season with the Mystics, averaging 7.6 points and 5.6 rebounds. She followed that with a strong Unrivaled season, in which she was the 1-on-1 tournament runner-up, falling to Napheesa Collier in three games.
This year, while the Mystics continue their rebuild, Edwards is slated to make another leap.
The Mystics’ opening regular season game is slated for Friday, May 16th. Depending on how her recovery goes, the 22-year-old could miss that opener.
The Washington Mystics have already lost two young players to injury
It’s been an injury-riddled first couple of days of training camp. In addition to Amoore and Edwards, the Las Vegas Aces announced that forward Megan Gustafson is out indefinitely with a lower leg injury.
Amoore’s injury appears most serious — and marks the latest ACL injury suffered by a high-profile women’s basketball player. USC’s JuJu Watkins and Seattle Storm players Nika Muhl and Jordan Horston both tore their ACLs in the WNBA offseason; Muhl was playing overseas, while Horston was playing in Athletes Unlimited.
If Edwards is sidelined for longer, other young Mystics players could get an opportunity. Kiki Iriafen, the Mystics’ No. 4 pick, could see some early-season minutes at the forward spot. And, Amoore’s sidelining puts more of the load on fellow first-round pick Sonia Citron, while potentially creating an opportunity for second-round draft pick Lucy Olsen to make the roster.
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