INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Nostalgia didn’t find its way into the Rising Stars game to kick off All-Star Weekend, because philadelphia 76ers Cheater VJ Edgecombe Will not let this happen.
Perhaps inspired by listening to Naismith Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar the night before, Edgecombe took the game seriously on Friday and won MVP for Vince Carter’s team in the Intuit Dome. He took his team to the finals with two free throws target score of 25Carmelo Anthony’s team was eliminated.
Earlier in the semi-final game, Edgecombe helped defeat a team selected by Tracy McGrady by scoring the last 10 points, and finished with 17 of his team’s 41 points.
Edgecombe was smiling afterwards, but he was serious about his approach.
“[Vince] Told us, ‘Why not just play hard?’ Earlier today, after practice we all decided, man, we’re just going to compete,” Edgecombe said. “Vince, he just wanted me to be aggressive.”
Abdul-Jabbar, 78, retired 15 years before Edgecombe was born, but he joined the players Thursday night, talking about his personal journey to the NBA, his experiences with unlikely figures like Bruce Lee and asking players directly about how they can use the league to enrich themselves and build their own brands if they invest in things like All-Star Weekend.
Edgecombe took the point seriously and praised Abdul-Jabbar for taking the time to reach out to today’s players. “I don’t know all your names, but I love your games,” Abdul-Jabbar said. Obviously, this struck a chord.
“Man, it felt like a dream,” Edgecombe said earlier in the day. “Just because he is a person of this level. He is in a place, he has his own level – he, [Michael] Jordan, the GOAT of basketball.
“It shows that he really cares. About basketball, the NBA and everyone who came after. I would say he paved the way for us. It’s great that we try our best to follow the path that he created and continued, just respecting him.”
Edgecombe brought honor to the game with his effort. He was Carter’s first choice in the Rising Stars Draft. Carter’s team also included extraordinary people derrick queen (New Orleans Pelicans), Matas Buzzelis (Chicago Bulls) And kishawn george (washington wizards).
“We were trying to win everything,” Buzzellis said. “We weren’t just trying to lie down and cruise.”
It was clear that Edgecombe made an effort to stand out in the showcase.
Edgecombe said, “I wanted to win. I hate losing, like I really hate losing.” “We just try to make it competitive, where it’s worth your time.”
The setup was quite simple: the team was led by former LA Clipper Austin Rivers, consisting of G Leaguers, faced Anthony’s team, while Carter’s team played McGrady, and the winners would face each other in the finals.
Although it was fast-paced, the game also had an element of competitiveness. Some players later commented on how quickly the game went, noting that a goal was scored. According to the players, Carter was intense in his expectations and expected his team to take the game seriously and set an example for the weekend.
“Like, man, we have a chance to win it all. So why not go out there and win,” Edgecombe said. “It’s really a credit to my teammates. We were all bought in. We were all saying, let’s win this. Coach Vince said, yeah, maybe, right? I was like, why not?”
Edgecombe scored 34 points in his NBA debut with the 76ers in October and was even exceptional tyreese maxi, joel embiid And paul george Attracting attention, averaging 14.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists.
Maxi was sitting on the side of the court to support his backcourt partner.
“It seems like if I don’t work hard he won’t get to see it,” Edgecombe said. “I was like, man, I’ll work hard so he can get something – at least it’s not a waste of his time. I didn’t want to waste his time.
“I know he’s got a lot of things he can probably do right now, especially being an All-Star.”
Bringing this intensity to All-Star Sunday so soon is beyond Edgecombe’s reach. Looks like he’s destined for the marquee stage.
“Becoming an All-Star would be a true blessing,” Edgecombe said. “I wouldn’t take it lightly if I became an All-Star one day. Hopefully I am. I would say I would be really blessed, and I would definitely enjoy it.”
