VJ Edgecombe Is Turning Heads in Philly - And He’s Just Getting Started
PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia 76ers didn’t just draft a player with the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft - they may have found their future. VJ Edgecombe, the electric guard out of The Bahamas, has quickly become a bright spot in what’s otherwise been a rocky stretch for the Sixers. And through 43 games, he’s proving he belongs.
Edgecombe has started every game so far, logging 35.6 minutes a night - a heavy workload for any rookie, let alone one adjusting to the NBA’s pace and physicality. But he’s handled it with a poise that belies his age.
He’s putting up 15.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 42.6% from the field and a solid 36.9% from beyond the arc. Those aren’t just respectable numbers - they’re the kind of stats that get you noticed in the Rookie of the Year conversation.
And make no mistake, Edgecombe is in that conversation. Alongside Dallas’ Cooper Flagg and Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel, he’s part of a standout rookie class that’s already shaping the league’s future. But what makes Edgecombe’s rise even more compelling is the path he took to get here - one that started far from the bright lights of the NBA.
“When I moved to America,” Edgecombe said when asked when he first realized the NBA dream was real. “So, like, 2020.
I always had dreams. I always had hopes, but that’s just being home.
Nobody ever made it from my island.”
He’s talking about Bimini - a small island in The Bahamas with no NBA pedigree to speak of. For a kid growing up there, the NBA might as well have been another planet.
But when Edgecombe moved to the U.S. during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, something shifted. The dream started to feel tangible.
“Before I moved, it would have sounded crazy to say I’m going to the NBA,” he said. “But definitely when I moved to America during COVID. I was like, ‘Yeah, I got a chance.’”
That chance turned into buckets - lots of them. Edgecombe recalled his AAU days, traveling across Florida and Georgia, lighting up scoreboards with 30-point games and going toe-to-toe with the top players in his class.
“I used to have, like, 37. I used to be having 30s,” he said, flashing a smile.
“So I was like, ‘Yeah, I could go hoop with the best of the best.’ Especially with the players in my class.
I was like, ‘Yeah, I could go hoop it up for sure.’”
Now, he’s doing just that - and not just holding his own, but thriving. What stands out isn’t just the scoring or the shooting touch; it’s the maturity. The Sixers have given Edgecombe a lot of responsibility early - and he’s answered the call with confidence and consistency.
For Philadelphia, that’s a promising sign. After a tough 2024-25 season, the franchise needed a spark.
Edgecombe might be more than that - he might be the foundation of what comes next. But for this season, his development is critical if the Sixers want to climb the Eastern Conference standings and make any noise come playoff time.
Next up: a matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday, followed by a five-game road trip out West. It’s the kind of stretch that tests young players - long flights, tough opponents, hostile arenas. But if the first 43 games are any indication, Edgecombe isn’t backing down from anything.
He’s already made it further than most from his island ever imagined. Now, he’s showing the rest of the league that he’s just getting started.