Edgecombe’s 34 points most in debut since Wilt as Sixers win

Oct 22, 2025, 10:24 PM ET

BOSTON — Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe wasted no time making his mark in the NBA, scoring 34 points in his debut to help Philadelphia rally to beat the Boston Celtics 117-116 in their season opener Wednesday night.

Edgecombe scored the most points in an NBA debut since Wilt Chamberlain had 43 on Oct. 24, 1959, and the third most in a debut all time. He also set the franchise scoring record in a debut, breaking Allen Iverson’s mark of 30.

The rookie managed to stand out on a night teammate Tyrese Maxey scored a game-high 40 points. The 74 combined points by Edgecombe and Maxey were tied for the second most by a duo in a season opener in NBA history, trailing only James Harden and Christian Wood’s 75 points for the Rockets in 2020.

YearPlayerPoints1959Wilt Chamberlain431954Frank Selvy35Wed.V.J. Edgecombe341974John Drew321955Maurice Stokes32

Philadelphia led by four with 22 seconds left, but it was down to one when Edgecombe missed a pair of foul shots with 9.1 seconds to play. Payton Pritchard had two shots for the winner and missed both.

Joel Embiid played for the first time since February, scoring four points on 1-of-9 shooting. The 2023 NBA MVP and a two-time league scoring champion had six rebounds in 20 minutes as he returns after a 2024-25 season when he was limited to 19 games because of a sprained left foot, a sinus fracture and arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

Jaylen Brown returned from a hamstring injury in the preseason finale to score 25 points. The 2024 NBA Finals MVP is expected to carry a heavier load this year with fellow All-Star Jayson Tatum, who watched the game from the bench in street clothes, recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Derrick White scored 13 of his 25 points in the third quarter, when the Celtics scored 16 straight to turn a five-point deficit into an 11-point lead. The Celtics led 94-84 with nine minutes remaining before the Sixers scored eight straight points to make it close.

The Associated Press and ESPN Research contributed to this report.

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