LOOK: Zach Edey Stops By Purdue Basketball Practice
In this story:
Zach Edey decided to return to his old stomping grounds this week. The two-time National Player of the Year made his way back to Cardinal Court at Purdue to be around the players and staff.
Edey posted an photo to his Instagram of Purdue's practice facility while guys went through practice. The men's basketball team also posted pictures of the 7-foot-4 NBA star chatting with coaches Matt Painter and Brandon Brantley.
📍 Big Man U. pic.twitter.com/affZvQtXRC
— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) July 16, 2025
It's the perfect example of "Once a Boiler, always a Boiler."
Edey made a return to West Lafayette shortly after undergoing ankle surgery this summer. Because of the injury, Edey is currently wearing a walking boot and will likely miss a portion of the 2025-26 NBA season with the Memphis Grizzlies.
"There's no exact timeline right now. I'm just doing all the rehabbing right now, and working hard at it,'' Edey told Purdue Boilermakers on SI in Las Vegas. "It had to be done. I really needed it. That ankle has been giving me trouble for quite a while now, so I'm really optimistic that it'll be a lot stronger once I'm back to full-go.''
Zach Edey on IG pic.twitter.com/FDSE5RBYre
— Dustin Schutte (@SchutteDustin) July 15, 2025
Edey completed his first NBA season averaging 9.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. He earned first-team NBA All-Rookie honors at the end of the year. The Grizzlies finished the regular season with a 48-34 record and earned the No. 8 seed in the NBA playoffs after advancing from the Play-In Tournament.
Memphis selected Edey with the No. 9 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft after a stellar career at Purdue.
Related stories on Purdue basketball
MAYER'S PERFORMANCE VS ROMANIA: Israel guard Omer Mayer made a big impact in a short amount of time in Wednesday's Round of 16 game against Romania, helping lead his team to a 119-68 win. CLICK HERE
PURDUE EXTENDS OFFER TO BRANHAM: Chase Branham, a four-star point guard and one of the top 50 players in the 2027 recruiting class, received an offer from Purdue this week. CLICK HERE
CLUFF ARRIVES AT PURDUE: After getting things settled overseas, Purdue transfer big man Oscar Cluff has now arrived in West Lafayette. He went through practice with the team on Tuesday. CLICK HERE
Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
Follow SchutteDustin