South West Slammers legend Aaron Edwards says friendships are his fondest memories of basketball career

Aaron Edwards had a storied career with the South West Slammers, winning three championships and playing in 423 games across nearly 20 years on the court. But the club legend, who became only the second player to have their jersey retired by the club on Saturday, says his fondest reflections from his time in basketball are the lifelong friendships it helped him forge. In front of former teammates, family and friends, Edwards was honoured in a pre-game ceremony ahead of the Slammers’ clash with Goldfields Giants on Saturday night, joining the legendary James Fitch on the wall at Eaton Recreation Centre. Like his long-time teammate Fitch, he has also stayed closely involved with the club since his playing days came to a close, serving as an assistant coach and committee member. Edwards said he was “humbled” by the recognition and “chuffed” with the club’s support. “I was a little embarrassed by some of the fuss, but ultimately it’s a great honour,” he said. “It was great to have so many people there that have been part of my journey along the way. It was just such a great opportunity to get so many mates together. “There was a little bit of reflection, but I must admit I was more excited about having the opportunity to get a crew together that I spent a lot of time with. We don’t often get together. We don’t do it enough and every time we get together it’s like ‘we should do this again’, but you need a situation. “It’s not about the basketball at the end of the day, we don’t sit back and say ‘we were such great players, we won all these games’, it’s the friendship. Basketball’s the thing that brought us all together.” Edwards debuted for the club in 1994 and was a critical component in the club’s 1995, 1998 and 1999 championship-winning sides. He said each of the triumphs in the Slammers’ early glory days had come with different challenges. “We were probably lucky that we were successful early, and through that success there was a really common core of players for seven, eight years,” he said. “The first (championship) sort of came out of nowhere, we just hit our straps at the right time at the end of that season and got over Kalgoorlie. “The second-last one, that was tough, it was a fight all the way through to the end. “The last one, the grand final was a one-sided result, we absolutely towelled up Perry Lakes, but the Rockingham team we beat to get to the grand final, that was probably some of the toughest finals games we ever faced as a club. “They were all special in their own right.” Edwards’ family is intertwined with the Slammers, with both his wife Charmaine and his daughter Addison representing the club’s women’s side. He said seeing Addison — who has been one of the team’s strongest performers this season aged just 17 — on the court in club’s colours was a special feeling. “We’ve never pushed the kids to do anything, if they want to do it, we’ll support it, and that’s something she wants to do at the moment,” he said. “It’s awesome to see her running around out there and having a crack. “She’s on her own pathway. I just hope she gets as much joy out of playing basketball and making friends as I did.”