Edgecombe becomes the eighth Baylor Bear picked by an NBA team since 2021.
WACO, Texas — When VJ Edgecombe heard his name called Wednesday night, it wasn’t just a special moment for him and his family. It was special for his family on the court: the Baylor Bears.
Edgecombe was selected third overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2025 NBA Draft, becoming the highest player drafted to the NBA out of Baylor in the university’s history. The last Baylor Bear to be selected that high was Epke Udoh in 2010, when he was picked sixth overall by the Golden State Warriors.
Edgecombe, a freshman guard from the tropical island of the Bahamas, shocked the nation all season with his raw power, speed and ball handling. Shooting 43.5% from the floor and 34% beyond the arc, Edgecombe led Baylor past Mississippi State in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Baylor rolled into their second-round matchup against the foretold first overall pick, Cooper Flagg, and the Duke University Blue Devils. Although the Bears fell 89-66, the basketball world took notice as Edgecombe held his own against the presumed future first overall pick.
Edgecombe was a projected lottery pick before he stepped foot on Baylor’s campus. After being drafted third overall, he has outdone every Bear before him.
“I’ve definitely gone to (NBA) Drafts and had to stay longer,” said Baylor coach Scott Drew, who’s had eight first-round draft picks and 14 players taken overall in the previous 15 years. “I won’t have to stay longer for him.” Baylor continues streak of players drafted to the NBA
The Bears have always produced prolific NBA talent, but Edgecombe gives Baylor its eighth player drafted since 2021.
In 2024, Ja’Kobe Walker was picked 19th overall by the Toronto Raptors while Yves Missi was selected two picks later by the New Orleans Pelicans.
In 2023, Texas native Keyonte George was drafted by the Utah Jazz. The year before, Jeremy Sochan was picked ninth overall by the San Antonio Spurs, while Kendall Brown was selected in the second round by his hometown Minnesota Timberwolves before being traded to the Indiana Pacers.
Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell and 76ers guard Jared Butler both started the recent trend after being picked in the 2021 NBA Draft.
ESPN Analyst Jay Bilas discusses Edgecombe
Bilas said Edgecombe could be the best overall athlete in the draft due the freshman’s speed, agility and vertical leap. He compared the 19-year-old to former NBA star Dwayne Wade.
“I think if you look back at Dwyane Wade when he was a freshman, you might think VJ Edgecombe was better than him as a freshman,” Bilas said. “I think he rebounds pretty well, especially on the offensive end. He just flies in from the perimeter and can get tip dunks and grab offensive boards.”
Drew said the organization who picks Edgecombe is getting someone who can “impact the game on both ends of the court.”
“Whoever drafts him is going to get somebody that can impact the game on both ends of the court,” Drew said. “The size, length, speed is one thing, but just to be able to compete each and every play, it’s a different level (in the NBA). And VJ has that. He has more size, strength, athleticism. His shot (mechanics) changed. And because of that, he’ll be a more consistent shooter.”
Bilas not only praised Edgcombe’s ability, but the ability of his coach to get the most out of his young guard.
“Scott Drew is one of the truly great coaches in the country,” Bilas said, “and he’s done an amazing job at Baylor of creating a culture that players can come in and out of, and it seems like they’re absorbed into that culture right away. The culture is contagious in a positive way. He’s had so many pros that have come out of Baylor.”
“You’re certainly not going to reach the heights that Baylor has reached – winning a national championship and going to all these Elite Eights and all these NCAA tournaments – you don’t do that without talent. But it’s also talent and high character. And I think VJ Edgecombe fits that mold really well,” Bilas continued.