Bahamian Valdez ‘VJ’ Edgecombe, a native of Bimini, got off to a promising start in the National Basketball Association (NBA) over the weekend.
The Philadelphia 76ers’ third overall pick made his professional debut at the 2025 NBA Salt Lake City Summer League in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday night.
Edgecombe erupted for a double-double, posting a game-high 28 points and adding 10 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks in 30 minutes of action.
He shot 13-for-27 from the field but went just 1-for-7 from deep and 1-for-3 at the free-throw line.
As for the Sixers, the team narrowly fell to the Utah Jazz, 93-89.
Ace Bailey, the fifth overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, had a quiet night. He scored eight points and pulled down seven rebounds but shot just 3-for-13 from the field and was 1-for-5 from three-point range.
Edgecombe, who plays shooting guard, spoke about what he liked about his performance in his pro debut.
“I feel like I was comfortable with my shot creation. They left me open, so I was shooting the ball,” he said. “You can’t sit in the paint, so it is a lot better than college. College is jam-packed, but the NBA is way more spacing. You gotta respect shooters and everything,” Edgecombe said.
Edgecombe’s first bucket was a difficult scoop lay-in that gave the Sixers an early 9-4 lead in the opening quarter. The team trailed by six, 29-23, after one.
The Jazz kept their momentum going in the second to take control of the game, leading by 12. Edgecombe checked in and hit a timely three-pointer at the 2:02 mark. That shot trimmed the gap to nine, 50-41, and the score was 52-43 in favor of the Jazz at the half-time break.
The Sixers continued to hang around and outscored the home team 19-14 in the third. The score was 66-62 in favor of the Jazz heading into the final quarter.
Edgecombe nailed a turnaround jumper to bring his team to within one, 89-88, with less than a minute to go in the contest.
Despite Edgecombe’s heroics, the Jazz closed out the game at the free-throw line.
The former Baylor guard said although it wasn’t the outcome the team wanted, it was a learning experience.
“It was a great bump, but overall we lost. That is not the outcome we wanted, but overall I feel like we started to figure some things out as a team so heading into Vegas or next game we should be good,” he said.
The Sixers are set to play game two of the Salt Lake City Summer League against the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight at 7 p.m. at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.