After a challenging freshman year at Kentucky, former Wildcat Justin Edwards is stepping into the NBA spotlight not as the projected No. 1 pick he was once expected to be, but as a young man shaped by adversity, personal growth, and hard-earned maturity. And in a story that Kentucky’s new head coach Mark Pope may use as a teaching moment, Edwards’ journey offers valuable lessons for the next generation of Wildcats.
The 6-foot-8 Philadelphia native arrived in Lexington as a five-star prospect—versatile, unselfish, and with championship pedigree. He was seen as a perfect fit for John Calipari’s 2023-24 team, which boasted high-level talent and Final Four hopes. Early performances showed flashes of potential, including six double-digit scoring games in his first eight outings, but expectations quickly outpaced reality.
Mental struggles and inconsistency plagued much of Edwards’ lone season at UK. Once viewed as a possible No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, he watched his draft stock tumble. Now, most projections list him as a second-round selection—Bleacher Report, The Athletic, and Yahoo Sports all slotted him outside the top 45, while ESPN still sees first-round potential at No. 26.
But Edwards has embraced the challenge.
“I’m here to show everybody that I’m still that guy,” he said at the NBA Combine in Chicago. “I just had a lot of mental stuff going on when I first got to college. But I feel like I’m back to myself now.”
His late-season resurgence proved that point. With the regular season nearing its end, Edwards delivered a flawless 10-for-10 shooting night, scoring 28 points in a statement win over Alabama. That performance, a cathartic breakthrough at Rupp Arena, came after months of internal battles and quiet support from those around him—most notably teammate Reed Sheppard and Sheppard’s mother, Stacey, who emotionally embraced Edwards after key victories.
Mark Pope, now tasked with shaping a new Kentucky era, is the kind of coach who pays close attention to these stories. Pope has spoken of character, resilience, and mental toughness as hallmarks of the culture he wants to build in Lexington. Edwards’ path—marked by struggle, self-reflection, and recovery—embodies exactly that.
“I’ve learned a lot,” Edwards said. “Just going through all of the adversity that I went through, I feel like that helped me become a better person… Not a lot of people could have bounced back the way I did.”
Edwards also pointed to the support of his mother, Ebony Twiggs, a former basketball player herself and single mother of three. She and his siblings moved with him from Philadelphia to Lexington, and her presence became a cornerstone of his emotional recovery.
“When I was going through all that stuff, I would always go over to my mom’s house and have talks with her… Our bond is really, really close,” Edwards said. “When I’m around them, I’m myself. I’m not seen as a basketball player. My mom says all the time, ‘People need to know Justin as a person, not just a player.’”
Now, Edwards is ready to start fresh—mentally stronger, emotionally grounded, and motivated by more than just draft projections. He’s eager to contribute to any team, embrace any role, and grow into the pro he was always meant to be.
As Mark Pope continues assembling and mentoring his own Kentucky roster, it’s hard to imagine a better cautionary-yet-inspiring tale than Edwards’ to pass along to the next wave of young Wildcats. In a high-pressure environment like Kentucky, talent is never the only requirement. Growth, humility, and resilience matter just as much.
And for Edwards, that realization might be the greatest win of all.
