Rookie VJ Edgecombe’s historic 76ers debut puts him in rarefied air

76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe joined some elite company on Wednesday night, putting up the most points in a debut in NBA history in more than 65 years. 

Edgecombe’s 34 points against the Celtics in the Sixers’ 117-116 were the third-most in an NBA debut and the most since Wilt Chamberlain put up 43 on Oct. 24, 1959, for the Philadelphia Warriors. 

The 20-year-old third overall pick in June’s draft also set a new franchise record for scoring in a debut, surpassing Allen Iverson, who scored 30 on Nov. 1, 1996.

3

Edgecombe even surpassed NBA superstar LeBron James for most points in a first quarter of an NBA debut with 14. 

James had 12 when he played his first game with the Cavs on Oct. 29, 2003. 

“Well, he’s pretty good,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said about Edgecombe’s performance. “I think there was some space there for him to shoot. I think there was some guys that were penetrating into some gaps and he was kind of spaced out there a lot. … He took some drives, think certainly a great start.”

Nurse noted a few things that he wanted to see Edgecombe work on, but overall, he called it “an amazing first game performance.” 

Edgecombe finished the night shooting 13-for-26 from the field and 5-for-13 from 3-point range, pulling down seven rebounds with three assists. 

3

Following the win, Edgecombe was doused in water by his teammates in celebration of his big night while he was speaking with the 76ers broadcast. 

“That’s a debut, 77,” Tyrese Maxey yelled at him after dousing him in water. 

3

The rookie combined with Maxey to record 74 of the Sixers’ points on Wednesday. Maxey finished the night with a game-high 40 points.

Edgecombe has local ties to the New York area, spending his junior and senior seasons of high school basketball playing for Long Island Lutheran.

He helped the school win a New York State championship in his junior season, and he was selected as a McDonald’s All-American his senior year.