VJ Edgecombe surpasses LeBron James as he achieves remarkable record in NBA debut for 76ers

A new NBA season has begun, where some players had their professional debut in the league. One of them was VJ Edgecombe, who set a new record surpassing LeBron James by scoring 34 points for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 117-116 victory against the Boston Celtics.

Edgecombe‘s historic night began in the very first quarter when he exploded for 14 points. This performance broke the 22-year-old record set by LeBron James, who scored 12 points in the first quarter of his 2003 debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Edgecombe is now the all-time leader for most points scored by a rookie in the opening frame of an NBA debut.

The former Baylor Bears star finished his dream debut scoring 34 points, along with seven rebounds and three assists, being the second-highest scorer of the night behind Tyrese Maxey who finished with 40 points.

His great performance allowed him to continue writing his name in the history books of both the NBA and the 76ers. The Philadelphia rookie became the third player to score the most points in his league debut, trailing only to Wilt Chamberlain (43 points in 1959) and Frank Selvy (35 points in 1954) on the all-time list.

Regarding the 76ers, Edgecombe’s scoresheet allowed him to become the rookie who scored the most points in a debut for Philadelphia, surpassing the great legend Allen Iverson, who scored 30 points in the 103–111 loss to the Bucks in 1996.

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Edgecombe wants to prove fans wrong

Philadelphia kept the third pick of the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft and at the time of choosing they could no longer select Cooper Flagg, selected by the Mavericks, or Dylan Harper, who was selected by the Spurs.

With Ace Bailey still as a possible option in the draft, the 76ers decided to go for Edgecombe, leaving Bailey for the Jazz. However, during the first two games of the NBA preseason, the former Rutgers Scarlet Knights star managed to score 25 and 20 points respectively, making Philadelphia fans wonder if the franchise had made a mistake in the selection.

However, Edgecombe’s flawless regular-season launch against the Celtics immediately quieted the critics. His performance suggests the 76ers may have found a star in the making—an asset the team sorely needed given the current injuries to backcourt veterans Paul George and Jared McCain.