NEW YORK — The Philadelphia 76ers selected Baylor freshman guard VJ Edgecombe with the third overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday night. The 19-year-old Edgecombe had an outstanding season for the Bears, averaging 15 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.

However, they instead selected Edgecombe after Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper were drafted by the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs, respectively, with the Nos. 1 and 2 picks. The Sixers are also scheduled to select fifth (35th overall) in Thursday’s second round.

VJ Edgecombe experienced hardships throughout his childhood on Bimini, a tiny island in the Bahamas hardly known for developing NBA talent. Only 19, it wasn't much more than a decade ago when Edgecombe knew that his basketball talent — developed on the “hard sand” of his native land — could be a way to provide so much more for