Zach Edey charged with reckless driving in Indiana

WEST POINT, Ind. — NBA player and former Purdue basketball star Zach Edey has been charged with reckless driving and speeding after being pulled over last month in central Indiana.

Edey, who started at center last season as a rookie for the Memphis Grizzlies, was issued a citation on May 1 after an Indiana State Trooper reportedly saw him speeding through Tippecanoe County. He now faces misdemeanor speeding and reckless driving charges.

Court documents detail how an ISP trooper pulled over a white 2023 Kia Sorento around 7 p.m. after seeing the car heading southbound on State Road 25 in West Point. Radar reportedly showed that the car was moving at 101 mph in a posted 55 mph zone.

Police say the Kia passed the trooper at 96 mph and continued through the County Road 800 South intersection. The trooper followed the car and pulled the driver over.

The trooper identified the driver as Zachry C. Edey, a then-22-year-old Memphis resident with a Tennessee driver’s license. Edey told the trooper he was “trying to pass a vehicle” and offered no other explanation for driving so fast.

Edey was then issued a citation and summons for an appearance in Tippecanoe County Court. Online court records show an initial hearing in his case is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on June 23 in front of Judge Michael A. Morrissey.

A police report from the interaction says that the 7’4″, 300-pound Edey was then released from the scene without incident and not taken to jail. The whole interaction reportedly lasted less than 20 minutes.

During his four years playing at Purdue University from 2020-2024, Edey stood out by averaging 18.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game on 62% shooting. The tallest player in Big Ten history, Edey was named Big Ten Player of the Year and consensus National Player of the Year in both 2023 and 2024. Upon entering the NBA, he was Purdue’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder.

After losing the National Championship to UConn in 2024, Edey declared for the NBA Draft and was selected ninth overall by the Memphis Grizzlies. Now the tallest active player in the NBA, Edey was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team after the 2024-25 season.