VJ Edgecombe Prioritizes Olympic Dream Over NBA Championship

Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe has expressed a preference for representing the Bahamas in the Olympics over winning an NBA championship. Edgecombe, who played high school basketball at Long Island Lutheran, shared his perspective during an appearance on Jaylen Brown's Twitch stream podcast.

"That’ll be a headline. Don’t care, though," Edgecombe stated. "It might sound crazy, but I would rather do that than win the championship. For the USA, y’all win all the time. But for my country, that’s probably one of the best things in the world."

The Bahamas national team has never qualified for the Summer Olympics. Edgecombe, 21, acknowledged the country's limited basketball history. The Bahamas came close to qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics, achieving a 4-0 record in pre-qualifying rounds before losing to Spain in the FIBA tournament. Edgecombe, then 18, was part of that team, playing alongside NBA players such as Eric Gordon, Deandre Ayton, and Buddy Hield.

Edgecombe, an All-Rookie selection last season, also explained that playing in the Olympics would be significant for his community and country. "It’ll bring more attention for other kids in that position. Now everyone is starting to look into The Bahamas and at least kind of notice them," he said. "I’ve been to all these different camps, and I wasn’t noticed early. So I think that would help show that we got a little [talent]."

The 6-foot-4 guard was selected third overall by Philadelphia in the 2025 NBA Draft after playing at Baylor. In his debut season, Edgecombe averaged 16 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists, shooting 35.4% from three-point range over 75 starts. He finished third in Rookie of the Year voting, behind Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel.

The Philadelphia 76ers have recently bolstered their roster with the additions of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, signaling a strong push for an NBA championship in the upcoming season.