Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe has officially added the first of many awards to his NBA career: Rising Stars MVP.
Taking the court for Team Vince Carter, Edgecombe scored back-to-back game winners and clearly looked like the best player on the court whenever he wore the jersey, which is high praise indeed, considering players like Derrick Queen were also participating in the event.
And yet, as pleasing as it is for Edgecombe to secure the tournament, as was the MVP trophy that came with it, Edgecombe was not ready to rest on his laurels. No. When asked about his win after the game, Edgecombe explained that he was happy to get his first championship win of the calendar year, even though he would like to add another win to his resume in a few months.
“It feels so good, man. It feels so good, baby. For Philly, baby,” Edgecombe declared. “You know, hopefully that championship at Rising Stars will be the first championship I get this season.”
On paper, Edgecombe’s confidence was evident in terms of both his individual performances and the quality of his team. While Daryl Morey famously didn’t add a player to his roster before the trade deadline, instead opting to trade forward Jared McCann for four draft picks and Eric Gordon with one pick, the 76ers are still a top-6 team in the Eastern Conference and could theoretically punch their ticket to the NBA Finals for the first time in the Joel Embiid era if things don’t go their way this spring. Given that Edgecomb ranks second on the team in minutes, it’s safe to say that Philly will be counting on him to deliver them to the promised land early and often in May and June.
“Hopefully that championship win at Castrol Rising Stars will be my first win this season.”
VJ Edgecombe after winning Rising Stars MVP 🗣️
(via @nba)pic.twitter.com/9qygMltJk2
– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 14 February 2026
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