Th Philadelphia 76ers and their fans are understandably thrilled to have VJ Edgecombe in the City of Brotherly Love after selecting him with the No. 3 overall pick in the NBA Draft. Edgecombe has finished showing out in the NBA Summer League and is now focused on his first season in the NBA.
Edgecombe made a somewhat controversial decision off the court recently when he stunned fans, announcing that he would be wearing No. 77 during his rookie year. He recently explained why he chose that number.
"I chose 77 because all the other numbers were taken."
VJ Edgecomb explains the thought process behind choosing #77 😅
(via @NBA)
pic.twitter.com/brvei2ebhV— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 17, 2025
“I chose 77 because all the other numbers were taken and seven is my favorite number, so I just doubled it,” Edgecombe said with a smile.
No. 77 is a very rare number in the NBA, but current Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic sports it, so Edgecombe is in good company. If he can become even close to the player that Doncic is, nobody will care what number he is wearing.
Of course, the former five-star recruit wore No. 7 during his only year at Baylor, but that number is occupied in Philadelphia by Kyle Lowry, who is back for another season with the team.
Regardless of the aesthetics, the 76ers and their fans have to be ecstatic with what their top pick has shown so far in Summer League. All of Edgecombe's pre-draft traits — elite athleticism and ability to finish above the rim while making instinctual plays on defense — have been on display, but he has showed off some other things too.
The biggest question about Edgecombe coming into the draft were about how he would be able to develop as a self-creator, and whether his handle would get to the point where he could create offense for himself and others. While the sample size is small and the competition is much lower than he will face in the NBA, flashes of those skills have been on display.
Edgecombe will have to carve out a role on a very talented 76ers team that includes Jared McCain and Tyrese Maxey in the backcourt and Joel Embiid coming back in the front court. So far, however, the early returns on the No. 3 pick look as good as you can hope for.
