Blue Edwards

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Theodore "Blue" Edwards (born October 31, 1965 in Washington, D.C.) is former professional basketball player who competed in the National Basketball Association. Edwards' hometown was Walstonburg North Carolina. Edwards was selected by the Utah Jazz with the 21st overall pick of the 1989 NBA Draft out of East Carolina University. He was a member of the 1990 NBA All-Rookie 2nd Team and recorded the first triple-double in the history of the Vancouver Grizzlies (and his first, too) on March 1, 1996 against the Dallas Mavericks with 15 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Edwards played ten years in the league before moving on to play professionally in Greece for the clubs Olympiakos and Dafni in 2000.

He was named "Blue" after he choked as a baby and turned blue. He also took part in the 1991 nba slam dunk contest.

[edit] Child custody issue

At the end of 2001, Edwards was involved in one of the most public child custody cases in canadian hstory. While playing for the Vancouver Grizzlies in the spring of 1996, Edwards started an affair with Canadian citizen Kimberly Van de Perre. During the affair, Kimberly fell 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. After a lengthy trial that ran from the fall of 1998 to early 1999, the trial judge released his decision and awarded sole custody to the mother. Mr. Edwards was given considerable access –four one-week periods quarterly throughout the year, shared time at Christmas and on Elijah’s birthday and additional access upon short notice when he was in Vancouver. Theodore appealed this decision.

During the hearing at the Court of Appeal, the Court invited Mrs. Edwards to apply to be admitted as a party and to request joint custody with her husband of Elijah. Mrs. Edwards is also an African American. This new, joint application for custody was successful, and Elijah was placed in the custody of Mr. and Mrs. Edwards.

The Court of Appeal's decision was stayed to allow the mother the opportunity to seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada, with the result that Elijah remained primarily in his mother's care throughout these proceedings.