Bimini native Valdez ‘VJ’ Edgecombe couldn’t have asked for a better start to his National Basketball Association (NBA) career, helping the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Boston Celtics in both teams’ season opener at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, on Wednesday night.
The Sixers rookie got the starting nod at the shooting guard position and erupted for an impressive 34 points, grabbed seven boards, dished out three assists, and picked up one steal in 41 minutes of play in his NBA debut. He was lethal from the field, going 13-for-26 on field goals and 5-for-13 from long range.
Philadelphia needed all of the 20-year-old’s points to put away the Celtics, 117-116.
Edgecombe, who has been endearingly nicknamed ‘The Generator’, checked a number of boxes to not only etch his name in the franchise’s history book, but also league history. His 34 points were the most scored by any NBA rookie in a debut game since Wilt Chamberlain set a league record of 43 points in his debut with the Philadelphia Warriors in 1959.
Additionally, the former Baylor University Bears guard had the third-most points scored in an NBA debut, trailing Chamberlain and Frank Selvy, who scored 35 for the Milwaukee Hawks in 1954. His stellar debut outperformed Sixers’ legend and NBA Hall of Famer Allen Iverson for a new franchise record. Iverson dropped 30 points in his debut in 1996.
The Bahamian basketball star found out about his historic accomplishments during the postgame interview after Wednesday night’s victory. He expressed how it felt to have such a record-breaking start to what is expected to be a promising career.
“I worked every day, and all my life, for moments like this. This is my dream,” he told reporters. “I prayed for this. I always prayed to make it to the NBA and to stay in the NBA. … Man, yeah, that was crazy. That surpassed my expectation, to be honest.”
Edgecombe scored 14 of his 34 points in the first quarter of the Sixers’ season opening win. His first-quarter performance took down a 22-year-old record for points in the first quarter of a debut performance, set by four-time NBA champion LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. James scored 12 points in the first quarter of his NBA debut.
He spoke about how it felt to be in elite NBA company after getting just one game under his belt.
“It feels good to have my name mentioned with LeBron,” the Sixers’ third overall pick said. “I must say, it’s amazing, but hopefully [I’m] going to have a long career ahead of me. That’s what matters most – longevity. Knowing LeBron has been there for 20-plus years, I’m hoping I can do that one day.”
Edgecombe scored 10 straight Sixers points in the first quarter and scored nine in the fourth, when Philadelphia erased a 13-point deficit to win its season opener. His season-opening performance earned praise from his teammates and Sixers’ Head Coach Nick Nurse.
“That’s pretty good,” Nurse said of Edgecombe’s historic performance. “He has a good motor. He played a ton of minutes. We certainly needed the offense. He certainly looked pretty comfortable out there. I think that’s probably what I’ve noticed most about him. He seems to know what’s going on out there for a young player. You don’t see him making silly mistakes. He’s just playing the right way. He’s got a very good feel for the game. That’s pretty cool, though. That’s a neat list to get on.”
The Sixers’ rookie came out of Baylor with high expectations and was selected as the third overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft.
In just one season with the Bears, he averaged 15 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.1 steals per game to earn Big 12 Rookie of the Year honors.
Bendra Rolle, the mother of Edgecombe, issued a press statement praising her son’s efforts in his NBA debut.
“Tonight marks a new chapter in VJ’s journey,” she wrote. “We are all proud of his historic performance. I watched his debut game beaming with pride. It felt almost unreal. All the glory belongs to God. This season will be more about my son’s humility, hunger for greatness, and competitive play – less talk on my part. I’m happy for the 76ers’ first win as a team. BIMINI TO THE WORLD!”
Sixers’ starting point guard Tyrese Maxey paced the team with a game-high 40 points, and added six dimes, and two rebounds.
Jaylen Brown and Derrick White both scored 25 for Boston in the loss.
The 76ers will return to action on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m., taking on the Charlotte Hornets at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.