PHILADELPHIA — Justin Edwards is a testament to hard work enabling people to overcome obstacles.
The former Kentucky standout went undrafted last summer. Yet Edwards finished the 2024-25 season as one of the 76ers' most dependable young players. He was rewarded for that Sunday as he signed a new three-year contract.
“Going undrafted, I didn’t let it determine the rest of my basketball life,” Edwards said. “I just worked hard and did what I was able to do and got a contract out of it.”
The Sixers gave him the new deal, which includes two guaranteed seasons, after declining his option for next season. He’ll make $2 million in 2025-26, up from the $1.9 million he would have made if they picked up his option.
The Sixers originally signed Edwards to a two-way contract on July 4, 2024, after he went undrafted a month earlier.
The 6-foot-6 forward had his contract converted to a standard NBA contract on Feb. 9 for the remainder of the season with a team option for 2025-26. At the time, both parties were interested in exploring a longer-term deal in the offseason.
Edwards averaged 10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1 steal in 44 games with 26 starts last season.
He had a career-high 25 points and four three-pointers against the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Jan. 14. The 21-year-old, who grew up in the Frankford and Uptown sections of Philly, made a career-high five three-pointers on March 24 against the New Orleans Pelicans.
After breaking into the Sixers’ rotation in January, Edwards displayed the confidence he had as the nation’s third-ranked high school prospect in the Class of 2023.
At Imhotep, he averaged 17.9 points and 7.5 rebounds while leading the Panthers to a 30-3 record, the PIAA Class 5A state championship, and the No. 11 national ranking by USA Today.
His lone season at Kentucky produced mixed results.
Edwards averaged 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds as a freshman before becoming the first top-three college recruit to go unselected in the NBA draft. But that disappointing distinction led him to a deal with his hometown Sixers.
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