Lebron James (23) shakes hands with Philadelphia 76ers guard Vj Edgecombe (77) after the game at Xfinity Mobile Arena 76ers Trust the process
Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
The Philadelphia 76ers had a great summer last year when they landed the No. 3 overall pick in the NBA Draft and used it to select a future star in VJ Edgecombe. After a wild rookie season that saw him contribute heavily to the team's playoff rotation a starter, the Sixers followed that up by landing LeBron James and Jaylen Brown this offseason.
He now has a chance to play with a guy who made his NBA debut two years before Edgecombe was even born.
The Sixers' second year player will play a big role for the team once again this season, but how big of a role did he play in recruiting LeBron James to Philadelphia?
Edgecombe recently spoke with ESPN, where he admitted he doesn't know James like that just yet, but that he is a big part of why he fell in love with basketball.
“See, I don't know, I don't know LeBron,” Edgecombe said. “I love LeBron don't get me wrong. I just never, like I've met him, obviously we've played against each other. Obviously, I would say that's who I looked up to when it comes to basketball, that's one of the reasons why I started playing ball when he was in Miami.
VJ Edgecombe had multiple discussions with Tyrese Maxey throughout the free agency period to see if he had any insight into where James would go. Maxey and James, of course, share agents in Rich Paul of Klutch Sports.
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“I keep calling Tyrese [Maxey], and I was like, ‘Are we getting Bron? Are we getting Bron?' And Tyrese is like, ‘Bro, I don't know.' Like, ‘I don't think so.' But he knew the whole time. But he ain't want to tell me. That's what I feel. I might be wrong.”
VJ Edgecombe will now get to play with his favorite player growing up alongside Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, and Joel Embiid.