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VJ Edgecombe Rumors
I’ll never forget draft night. I was in the green room, in New York, with my mom, my coach, and all my loved ones. I had my cousins and my aunties with me. So we back there, I’m chillin’ with my family, vibing. Watching the commissioner call Cooper and Dylan. But I’ve also got one eye on my agent, you know? Then he gets a call, and he just looks at me and nods. Like the Secret Service or something. Haha. After that it was all a blur. I was just trying to gather myself to stand up, hug my family, hug everyone, then go up on stage.
So yeah, I was emotional as hell. My family used to live off a generator. Now I play for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Fast-forward to summer 2024, and I’m getting invited to play for Team Bahamas for the Olympic qualifiers. I was like, Why not? It felt like a good opportunity to level up my game by practicing with that caliber of players — NBA players like Deandre Ayton, Buddy Hield, Eric Gordon. Something for the exposure, you know? Basically, I wasn’t expecting to actually play. Haha. I thought I was going to get the young buck treatment. You know, sit on the sidelines, watch the game, practice….. But also, deep down I was like, I can’t let that happen.
VJ Edgecombe: 'I don’t even believe I’m in the NBA right now'
Edgecombe shared how surreal everything still feels when George asked him about his experience coming from humble beginnings to the NBA: “I think that’s why it probably still hasn’t hit me yet, because it still feels surreal. Like you say, back home in the Bahamas, I was just a kid with a dream, just wanted to make it, you know. I always understood my path was going to be different, though, so I was willing to accept whatever comes with it. But I wasn’t expecting it to happen this quick, I’m only 19, I wasn’t expecting it to happen this quick. I was thinking like, probably when I’m 23, 24, probably get like a Summer League shot or something. But man, it still feels surreal, I ain’t going to lie to you. Like in this moment I don’t know, I don’t even believe I’m in the NBA right now.”
VJ Edgecombe: 'I hated college basketball, personally'
What about — like, I was telling them — the difference you notice when you make that jump from college to the NBA? The spacing you get, the flow that’s better, the pace is faster. What was that difference like for you? VJ Edgecombe: So, remember I played with the Bahamas team? Yeah — so I was already in some space, kind of playing in professional-type spacing. College though? I hated college basketball, personally. Some people love it — I don’t. Because I was also dealing with two centers — two bigs — sitting in the paint. I’m trying to get to the cup, and it was bad. I’m like, “Bro, I got no space to operate.” And then you can sit in the paint — you know what I’m saying? There’s no three-second rule. Nothing.
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VJ Edgecombe: I'm blessed to be in this situation — to be on a team that has a chance to actually win the championship. You know what I'm saying? Healthy, I feel like a healthy Sixers squad — we're going to the chip. You feel me? That’s how I feel. For training camp, I'm just going in to play hard. But for the year — Rookie of the Year — I definitely want to win Rookie of the Year, man. That would be amazing. If I win Rookie of the Year — I'm gonna say it here — if I win Rookie of the Year, I ain't changing my number.
VJ Edgecombe: I also want to make the All-Defensive Team. They're going to say it’s hard for a rookie… Player: …but I don't think it's going to be hard for me. I play defense — and I'm going to be guarding the best players in practice, which is going to prepare me.
VJ Edgecombe: 'The player I watch more than anyone is Anthony Edwards'
VJ Edgecombe: I like to learn from everybody, but the player I watch more than anyone is Anthony Edwards. Him being a two-way player, and he is able to play with and without the rock and play alongside other great players. - VJ
VJ Edgecombe on his jersey number: “I chose 77 because all my other numbers were taken.”
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Tony Jones: VJ Edgecombe, Justin Edwards and Adem Bona are all out for the Philadelphia 76ers tonight, according to sources This is simply because the Sixers are playing the second half of a back to back. It isn’t anything injury related.
Gina Mizell: Sixers say VJ Edgecombe (thumb sprain) will be out again for this afternoon’s summer league game against Charlotte. He has been doing on-court work and his status will be updated before the Sixers’ next game on Tuesday.
Pretty high praise, right? Well George wasn't done. No, he took things a step forward, noting that Edgecombe has “that dog in him” in a way reminiscent of another 76ers legend: Jimmy Butler. “He got that dog in him. Watching him, it was like watching a young Jimmy,” George declared. “He moves like Jimmy. Kind of has that mid-range tenacity. He's kind of got a lot of the Jimmy likeness to him, so he's definitely going to be good.”
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