Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; VJ Edgecombe arrives before the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Sixers' VJ Edgecombe Speechless Over Comparison to NBA Legend

Originally posted on Philadelphia 76ers on SI
By Declan Harris | Last updated Oct 3, 2025 8:15 AM ET

On Thursday, the Philadelphia 76ers took on the New York Knicks, as both sides kicked off their respective preseason schedules, doing so in the United Arab Emirates, as part of the NBA's Abu Dhabi Games.

For some of the more veteran players in the match, such as Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr, or Karl Anthony-Towns, the match might have just been any other preseason opener, but for Sixers' rookie VJ Edgecombe, it was something more.

Thursday's match against the Knicks was the 20-year-old's NBA debut, meaning that he'd be going up against talent with the skills that he has yet to play in professional basketball. It's safe to say that the Bahamian wasn't all too phased by this, as he would go on to score 14 points against New York, while also dishing out three assists, and securing six rebounds.

But these efforts wouldn't be the talking point surrounding the rookie leaving the match, as that would be reserved for Edgecombe's attempted show of his athleticism in the first half.

Edgecombe's Attempted Poster Against New York

V.J. Edgecombe nearly destroyed Mitchell Robinson with this poster pic.twitter.com/JO3V8lSp5c
— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) October 2, 2025

Midway through the second quarter, Kennedy Chandler dished a ball to Edgecombe, who was driving into the paint. The 20-year-old would catch the ball and ascend towards the basket, over the likes of the Knicks' Mitchell Robinson, but missed the can on the way down.

The dunk, a result of Edgecombe's very well-known athleticism and burst, caught the eyes of fans around the world, with some giving an early comparison to one of the best to ever grace the dunk contest, Vince Carter.

VJ Edgecombe reacts to being compared to Vince Carter because of his dunking ability:

"That's elite... I'm VJ, man." pic.twitter.com/6s4yIoFWow
— NBA (@NBA) October 2, 2025

After the match, the 20-year-old addressed the press, when asked about the fan's comparison, Edgecombe was appreciative of it, but was humble in his response.

"That's elite, yeah that's an elite comp [comparison]," Edgecombe said. "I'm VJ, man... the comparison is cool, but you know, I just wanted to make the dunk."

Carter, the player who Edgecombe was being compared to, lit the league up in the early 2000s with his ability to rock the rim, which was famously displayed during the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest, when the then-Toronto Raptor performed a reverse 360 windmill dunk in the opening round.

The Bahamian's athelticism is something that has caught the eyes of several of his teammates, not only at the Sixers' recent training camp, but also during the initial workouts he had with the team following the draft and the subsequent NBA Summer League.

The Sixers and Knicks will face off for the final time in the preseason on Saturday, after which they'll return home to continue their respective preseason schedules.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia 76ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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