Blue Edwards

Theodore "Blue" Edwards (born October 31, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who played ten seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Edwards now coaches at his alma mater, Greene Central High School in Snow Hill, North Carolina.

Edwards' hometown was Walstonburg, North Carolina. He attended Greene Central High School, in Snow Hill, North Carolina where he played on the basketball team.^[1]

From 1984 to 1986, Edwards played basketball at Louisburg College in Louisburg, North Carolina.^[1]

In the late 1980s, he played for East Carolina University. In 1988–89, Edwards scored 773 points, the most points in a single season for ECU. He also finished sixth in the nation in scoring.^[1]

In 1987, Edwards was suspended from the season after being found guilty of breaking and entering.^[2] In 1994, Edwards became a member of the East Carolina University Athletics Hall of Fame.^[1]

He was selected by the Utah Jazz with the 21st overall pick of the 1989 NBA draft out of East Carolina University and was a member of the 1990 NBA All-Rookie 2nd team. He was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in 1992 and tied for scoring with Frank Brickowski for the Milwaukee Bucks during the 1992–93 season with 16.9 points per game^[3] (although at 16.85, Edwards' average was slightly lower than Brickowski's 16.89).

Edwards was selected by the Vancouver Grizzlies with the 26th selection in the 1995 NBA expansion draft, having been left unprotected by the Utah Jazz. He recorded the first triple-double in the history of the Vancouver Grizzlies (also his first) on March 1, 1996, against the Dallas Mavericks with 15 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. In the Grizzlies' first season, he ranked fourth overall in points per game (12.7).

Edwards won several games with last-second shots, including a game winning bucket against the Minnesota Timberwolves that ended the Grizzlies' 23-game losing streak. The shot prevented the Grizzlies from tying the National Basketball Association record for most consecutive losses. He also hit a last-second game winning shot against the Philadelphia 76ers. He was also the only Grizzly to play and start all 82 games.

Due to Edwards' dunking ability, he was invited to the 1990 NBA Slam Dunk Contest in which he did not take part due to injury, and was replaced by David Benoit. However, he did take part in the 1991 event, placing 6th. Edwards wore number 30 throughout his career until he moved to the Miami Heat where he wore 32 as 30 was in use by Terry Porter.

After his NBA career, Edwards played overseas.^[4]

At the end of 2001, Edwards was involved in a highly publicized child custody case in Canada. While playing for the Vancouver Grizzlies in the spring of 1996, Edwards, who was married, started an affair with Canadian citizen Kimberly Van de Perre. He had at least two other affairs. During the affair with Kimberly, she became pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy named Elijah, in June 1997. When Elijah was three months old, Ms. Van de Perre began proceedings for custody and child support, naming Edwards as the father of the child. Edwards responded initially by seeking joint custody and liberal access, but later changed his response to seek sole custody.^[5]

بعد محاكمة مطولة امتدت من خريف عام ١٩٩٨ إلى أوائل عام ١٩٩٩، أصدر قاضي المحكمة قراره ومنح الأم الحضانة الكاملة. مُنح إدواردز حق زيارة واسعة النطاق - أربع فترات مدة كل منها أسبوع واحد كل ثلاثة أشهر على مدار العام، وزيارة مشتركة في عيد الميلاد وعيد ميلاد إيليا، بالإضافة إلى زيارات إضافية عند الحاجة إليها في فانكوفر . استأنف إدواردز هذا القرار.

خلال جلسة الاستماع في محكمة الاستئناف في مقاطعة كولومبيا البريطانية ، دعت المحكمة السيدة إدواردز إلى تقديم طلب للانضمام كطرف في القضية، وطلب حضانة مشتركة لإيليا مع زوجها. والسيدة إدواردز أيضاً أمريكية من أصل أفريقي . وقد قُبل هذا الطلب المشترك الجديد للحضانة، ووُضع إيليا تحت حضانة إدواردز وزوجته.

تم تعليق قرار محكمة الاستئناف لإتاحة الفرصة للأم لطلب الإذن بالاستئناف أمام المحكمة العليا الكندية ، ونتيجة لذلك، بقي إيليا في رعاية والدته بشكل أساسي طوال هذه الإجراءات. في عام ٢٠٠١، أيدت المحكمة العليا الكندية قرار المحكمة الابتدائية ومنحت حضانة إيليا لوالدته؛ وخلصت المحكمة إلى أنه لم يُقدَّم في هذه القضية أي دليل على أن العرق يجب أن يكون "اعتبارًا مهمًا". ^{[ ٦ ]} بعد أن أكدت المحكمة العليا أحقية الأم في الحضانة الكاملة، توقف الأب عن زيارة الطفل ودفع النفقة.

في عام 2009، أنتجت شبكة التلفزيون الكندية وبثت فيلماً تلفزيونياً بعنوان "اللعب من أجل البقاء"، مستوحى من قصة معركة حضانة الأطفال، والذي عُرض في الولايات المتحدة تحت عنوان "ما لون الحب؟". ^{[ 7 ] [ 8 ] [ 9 ]}

• فان دي بير ضد إدواردز، [2001] 2 SCR 1014، 2001 SCC 60
• فان دي بير ضد إدواردز، 2004 كارسويلBC 867 (BCSC)

• إحصائيات بلو إدواردز في الدوري الأمريكي للمحترفين