Aaliyah Edwards scored 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting in Connecticut's 87-81 win over Chicago, her first game back after missing four games with an ankle injury. The performance came seven weeks into a season where Connecticut entered Sunday 14-11 and fighting for playoff seeding in a compressed Eastern Conference.
The timing is specific. Edwards went down May 28 in Atlanta, sat through road games in Seattle and Phoenix, then returned June 22 against the league's worst defensive team. Chicago allows 89.4 points per game, fifth-worst in the twelve-team league. Edwards took 15 shots, her highest attempt total since her February debut, and converted at 73 percent. She added 7 rebounds in 31 minutes. Connecticut's previous four games without her went 2-2, with losses to Minnesota and Dallas—both top-four seeds.
Edwards is the sixth overall pick from the 2024 draft, one of three Canadians selected in the first round that year. She played four seasons at Maryland, where she averaged 13.8 points and 8.6 rebounds as a senior. Her draft position put her $76,535 salary in Connecticut's top five, just below DiJonai Carrington's $185,000 and DeWanna Bonner's $200,000 veteran deals. The Sun are owned by Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, which operates 17 properties across 7 countries and views the franchise as a northeastern anchor for its sports portfolio. The team draws 7,200 fans per game to Mohegan Sun Arena, third in the league behind Las Vegas and Seattle.
The Canadian angle carries weight. TSN holds WNBA rights in Canada and has aired 18 Connecticut games this season, more than any team except Las Vegas. Edwards is one of four Canadians on active rosters, alongside Toronto's Laeticia Amihere, Phoenix's Natasha Mack, and Dallas's Stephanie Soares. Basketball Canada projects 1.2 million girls playing organized basketball by 2026, up from 890,000 in 2022. Adidas signed Edwards to an endorsement deal in March, her first national brand contract. The company already sponsors Canada Basketball's women's program and sees her as a bridge to youth spending in Ontario and British Columbia markets.
Connecticut sits 6th in the East with 17 games remaining. The top eight teams make the playoffs, but the 4-seed gets home-court advantage in the first round. That gap is 2.5 games. Minnesota holds the four-spot at 16-8, with Indiana and New York bunched at 15-10. Connecticut's remaining schedule includes four games against teams currently below .500. Edwards's return gives them a third scoring option behind Bonner (17.1 points per game) and Alyssa Thomas (14.3 points). Thomas leads the league in assists at 8.1 per game, which matters when Edwards shoots 73 percent.
Watch whether Edwards maintains her usage rate above 20 percent over the next six games. Connecticut plays Chicago again July 2, then faces Atlanta twice before the Olympic break. Also watch TSN's viewership numbers for those games. The network has not disclosed Edwards-specific ratings, but league sources say Canadian viewership for WNBA games is up 38 percent year-over-year. Adidas's next quarterly earnings call is August 1. Finally, track whether Connecticut's front office extends Edwards's contract before the 2025 season. Second-year players become restricted free agents after their third season, and Edwards's Canadian profile makes her extension window shorter than most lottery picks. She is 22 years old and has two years of team control remaining.
The takeaway
Edwards's return adds a 26-point scoring option and Canadian audience leverage as Connecticut fights for playoff seeding with 17 games left.
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