The WNBA season hasn't even begun yet and Washington Mystics forward Aaliyah Edwards is out for two weeks. The team announced the news Thursday morning with very little detail attached. The press release noted Edwards was "diagnosed with a low back contusion" and "will be re-evaluated in two (2) weeks."
The update is fresh off Wednesday's devastating announcement that rookie Georgia Amoore injured her ACL during training camp and is now out indefinitely. The team did not specify if Amoore, the No. 6 overall pick in this year's WNBA Draft, tore her ligament or give a full timeline for her return.
Both Amoore and Edwards were set to kick off the season on Saturday, May 3, in an Indianapolis preseason game against the Indiana Fever.
Georgia Amoore's injury prompted calls for a schedule overhaul
Though it's currently unclear what caused Edwards' injury, many people have pointed to the tough NCAA to WNBA schedule rookies face as a likely culprit in Amoore's ACL tear. Amoore averaged 31.5 minutes per game for Kentucky during the 2024-25 season and played her final collegiate game on March 23, 2025. Though she had a little more of a buffer than other rookies (such as Paige Bueckers and Bree Hall, who were both drafted one week after the championship game in Tampa, Florida), Amoore still only just one month off, and it's unlikely that was enough time for any treament or rehab she might have needed at the end of the college season.
As a rookie Amoore was also in a tough spot: she has to show the team why she's worth the investment and she was going up against vets who are more experienced, stronger, and have had plenty of time off in recent months to make sure their bodies are ready for the demands of the WNBA.
To her credit, it's sounded like Amoore has been more than impressive this week. On Monday Stefanie Dolson told reporters the former Kentucky guard was attentive and quick to learn. "Georgia does not look like a rookie at all," she said. "She came in the first day, was answering questions quick, was talking quick. So she looks really good."
Mystics GM Jamila Wideman has also had high praise for Amoore. "What we’ve seen her show up and do is to be incredibly prepared to participate and really listen intently," she also told reporters. "She’s come in and wanted to listen to our vets, learn from their experience, try to get a sense of the other players that are on the floor with her and find her spots to be present and vocal."
A look at Aaliyah Edwards' injury history
Last year Edwards, who was also the No. 6 overall pick by the Mystics a year before Amoore, suffered a nose injury that was described as "way broken" by UConn's Geno Auriemma. Edwards was elbowed in the face during the team's game against Providence in early March 2024. At the time many were concerned she might have suffered a concussion, but that was eventually ruled out.
Edwards bounced back from the injury in time for the NCAA tournament and played the 2024 WNBA season with a face mask to prevent reinjury.