VJ Edgecombe Rumors

Kyle Neubeck: Spoke to a league source this morning who completely shot down the idea that the Sixers would trade VJ Edgecombe in any move, including in speculative deals people are talking about for Giannis. Should go without saying, but he’s part of the foundation in Philly

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Austin Krell: Nick Nurse said that Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid were great, but that he felt players such as Kelly Oubre and VJ Edgecombe were not as involved as he'd have liked and that bled into the rebounding woes.

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NBA Communications: The 2026 Castrol Rising Stars ⬇️ Tune in to @peacock tomorrow at 7 PM ET to watch honorary coaches Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter draft their teams from the pool of 21 NBA sophomores and rookies. Austin Rivers will serve as the honorary coach of the @nbagleague team.

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Some 800 miles away from McCormick Place in Chicago–where the Sixers were sighing in relief after landing in the top four of the 2025 NBA draft lottery–there is a man who was just as excited. That man is John Buck, the head coach of the Long Island Lutheran High School basketball team. Buck has witnessed VJ Edgecombe blossom from a poised high schooler to a face of an entire city’s hope, both now and in the future. "I'm so glad he got drafted by them. You look at the other teams around that pick. You're like, 'Please no.' He gets drafted into a team that can win with good veterans,” Buck told On SI in a recent phone interview. “I'm so thankful. That situation means a lot."

Sports Illustrated

"For sure. He's done that for my organization, too," Ricks told On SI in a phone interview with a chuckle. Ricks knew Edgecombe had the work ethic to be special on day one. "When he first flew up to start with us, he got off the plane, picked him up and he was right in the gym,” Ricks said. “Immediately, he wanted to go right to the gym.”

Sports Illustrated

“Someone said, 'We got a Baylor player for you, and he fits your culture,' Baylor head coach Scott Drew told On SI in a phone interview. “I said, 'What do you mean?' He goes, 'He was in Italy, playing in a tour or a tournament. They couldn't find him, and they're waiting to check into the hotel. He was with the baggage, reading his Bible on a Sunday. So they said he was a Baylor kid.” That wasn’t the first time Edgecombe’s humble nature caught someone’s attention. "He didn't mind being embarrassed. He could laugh at himself," Drew said. "Raised with a unique value system. Super humble, respectful. Being from the Bahamas with a different upbringing than a lot of American kids,” Buck recalled.

Sports Illustrated

Drew sees a natural-born leader in Edgecombe’s nature. "He'll recognize if someone needs to be picked up. He'll go talk to him. If he thinks the team needs to be brought together, he'll huddle them up and talk,” Drew explained. “A lot of freshmen want to wait and see how things are run, how they're done. They fit in. VJ is one of those guys, the minute he stepped in, he's like, 'I'm going to help lead.' "God gave him an ability to lead, and he does it in a way that doesn't offend people. He can confront somebody, and he can do it in a way that doesn’t turn them off but has them actually do what is right.”

Sports Illustrated

After the 76ers' 113-104 win over the Pacers, Edgecombe crashed Maxey's interview, put his arm around his teammate, and said "For the record man we do not hate each other." Maxey had a facetious follow up: "I hate you don't ever talk to me again and go in the locker room."

Sporting News

?Derek Bodner?: Joel Embiid couldn't help but troll VJ Edgecombe during his scrum. Embiid: "He must have dunked on somebody, look at how many people are around him?" VJ: "I hate passing Joel the ball." Embiid: "I don't like playing with you." VJ: "That's fine. I don't love you no more either."

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?Derek Bodner?: "I would have protested if he wasn't a starter. It would have been a problem," VJ Edgecombe on his reaction to Tyrese Maxey being named an All-Star starter.

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Edgecombe said he won't participate in the dunk contest if asked, even as he's making stupendous plays that have the Sixers in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Sixers were in awe of the throwdown that helped fuel a second-half comeback in their 113-104 win over the Pacers. "You must have dunked on someone," teammate Joel Embiid cracked as the media horde swelled around Edgecombe's locker. "I haven't seen this many people around you since you got drafted."

ESPN

Austin Krell: VJ Edgecombe and Kelly Oubre Jr. officially available.

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Philadelphia’s offense has become smoother, too. At the beginning of the season, the Sixers felt like two different teams: one with Embiid and another without him. The balance has been there a lot more of late. Maxey and Edgecombe have been so potent as a backcourt that the Sixers consistently push the basketball when Embiid is off the floor. The pace has slowed down a bit with Embiid, particularly in the half court, but the 31-year-old is running more in transition and feeling stronger. “What we love is that he looks happy,” Maxey told The Athletic. “We want him to be happy, more than anything. And he looks healthy. I think the thing that I’m most proud of is that he’s staying on top of his treatment. He’s staying on top of getting ice and seeing the training staff. Just seeing him healthy, that is the stuff that really matters.”

New York Times

Toward the end of the lopsided victory, Embiid got the ball under the basket for a transition dunk, which was the final points of the game. Embiid and his teammates reacted to the dunk with a mock celebration. Rookie VJ Edgecombe, who also scored 26 points, said jokingly that Embiid "actually got up a little bit" on the dunk. "I was so happy," said Tyrese Maxey, who led the 76ers with 36 points in his latest scintillating performance of this season. "So now, it's my fault because the play before, I dropped him off a pass, thinking he wasn't going to dunk it. Now he's telling me to throw him a lob. So, I'm going to throw him a lob, and we're going to see how that goes."

ESPN