VJ Edgecombe dunked on Boston’s Jaylen Brown in Philadelphia’s Opening Night win on Wednesday.
Editor’s Note: Read more NBA coverage from The Athletic here. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its teams.
***
BOSTON — So, that was quite the debut.
With one game, with 48 minutes of basketball, V.J. Edgecombe etched himself into Philadelphia 76ers lore and into the annals of NBA history. In a 117-116 win over the Boston Celtics at TD Garden, the rookie guard from Baylor scored 34 points.
VJ Edgecombe of the @sixers scored 34 points tonight, the third most ever by a rookie in his NBA debut.
▪️ Wilt Chamberlain: 43 PTS in 1959
▪️ Frank Selvy: 35 PTS in 1954
▪️ VJ Edgecombe: 34 PTS in 2025Edgecombe broke Allen Iverson's 76ers record for points in a debut (30). pic.twitter.com/HXGkQOuzSQ
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) October 23, 2025
Edgecombe’s point total is the third highest in NBA history, behind Wilt Chamberlain (43 in 1959) and Frank Selvy (35 in 1954). It was also the highest scoring output in a debut in Sixers history, besting Allen Iverson’s 30 points in his first NBA game in 1996.
“I was just trying to play basketball, at the end of the day,” Edgecombe said. “I didn’t want to overthink it.”
Edgecombe scored 14 first-quarter points. He made 13 of 26 from the field. He knocked home five 3-pointers and grabbed seven rebounds.
Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey, who scored a game-high 40 points, led a rally that saw the Sixers come back from double digits in the fourth quarter. Even with how good Edgecombe was, he wasn’t perfect. He missed two free throws with 7.8 seconds remaining, which opened the door for the Celtics to win on the final possession. But the Sixers came up with a defensive stop, and that allowed Philadelphia to win its regular-season opener.
Tony Jones is a Staff Writer at The Athletic covering the Philadelphia 76ers and the NBA. A native of the East Coast and a journalism brat as a child, he has an addiction to hip-hop music and pickup basketball, and his Twitter page has been used for occasional debates concerning Biggie and Tupac. Follow Tony on X @Tjonesonthenba
