Aaliyah Edwards pens farewell letter to Connecticut as UConn great prepares for Sun finale

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UNCASVILLE, CT - AUGUST 25: Aaliyah Edwards #8 of the Connecticut Sun smiles during the WNBA game between the Chicago Sky and the Connecticut Sun. (Icon Sportswire/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Aaliyah Edwards has spent the majority of her adult life in Connecticut, playing four seasons with the UConn women's basketball program and returning last year to the WNBA's Sun on a mid-season trade. 

However, the 24-year-old forward's run in the Nutmeg State will end Thursday evening as the Sun take on Toronto in their 2026 regular-season finale before the franchise relocates to Houston ahead of the 2027 campaign. Edwards wrote an open letter to Connecticut, which was published on the team's website Thursday afternoon, reflecting on six years of memories in the state and expressing her gratitude to the local women's basketball fan base. 

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"Dear Connecticut, it's hard to say goodbye to a place that has felt like home in more than one chapter of my life," Edwards' letter begins. "Long before I wore a Connecticut Sun jersey, Connecticut welcomed a young girl from Kingston, Ontario, who came here with big dreams and a lot to still learn. This state watched me grow up. It gave me space to learn, to make mistakes, to become more confident, more resilient, and more certain of the woman and player I wanted to be."

As Edwards notes, she grew up around 270 miles northeast in the Lake Ontario border town of Kingston, but after blossoming into a five-star recruit in the 2020 high school class, she had the opportunity to lay down roots in just about any college town across the United States. Edwards ultimately committed to Geno Auriemma in October 2019, citing the program's competitive atmosphere and a desire to be surrounded by greatness. 

Carving out an immediate role in Storrs, Edwards finished fourth on the team in scoring as a freshman with 10.7 points per game, and blossomed into a UConn great during the back half of her college career. Edwards finished as a Wooden first-team All-American as a senior, averaging 17.6 points a night and near double-double numbers, but her college career ended after being whistled for a controversial moving screen against Iowa in the 2024 Final Four.   

On the back of this college success, Edwards was selected No. 6 overall by the Washington Mystics and earned a rotational starting role in the nation's capital. However, incoming rookie Kiki Iriafen supplanted Edwards in the rotation during the 2025 season, leading Washington to trade the former UConn star to Connecticut in August 2025. Edwards has averaged 21 minutes per game for a rebuilding Sun squad this year, posting a career-high 10.9-point scoring average. 

Edwards concluded her letter, "To Connecticut: thank you for giving me a place to grow. Thank you for the memories, the lessons, the people, and the moments I'll carry with me long after this chapter ends. Basketball has taken me to a lot of places, and I know there are still so many places left for it to take me. But some places leave a mark on you. Connecticut is one of those places for me. From Storrs to Uncasville, from one chapter to another, thank you for letting me call you home. With love, Aaliyah Edwards."

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This article originally published at Aaliyah Edwards pens farewell letter to Connecticut as UConn great prepares for Sun finale.

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