SPORTS SECTION E
FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2025
Beach Soccer, Page 2
NBA Draft Day: ‘I had no clue what was going on’ By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
A
lthough they entertained him in Philadelphia before the National Basketball Association’s 2025 Draft, Bimini native Valdez “VJ” Edgecombe Jr said he didn’t know the 76ers were selecting him with the third pick until about 15 seconds before the announcement was made. “I had no clue what was going on,” said Edgecombe Jr as he sat on Wednesday night surrounded by his family and friends. He waited with anticipation as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called his name as the pick by the 76ers. “I was just living in the moment until about 15 seconds before they told
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me I was going there. So they didn’t tell me anything, It was still up in the air about what was going on.” The 19-year-old, 6-foot, 5-inch guard came out of Baylor University after completing his freshman year as a member of the Bears men’s basketball team where he averaged 15 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. “It’s surreal. I worked hard and everything has paid off,” said Edgecombe Jr as he spoke to the media in his post-draft interview. “The work doesn’t stop. “I’m definitely looking forward to going to Philly, making the team, getting ready for Summer League, training camp, all of that. So I’m focused on playing now.” Edgecombe Jr, who reminded people of how he grew up playing basketball on concrete floors and was living in a home powered by a generator, said coming from an island that was seven miles long where “everybody knew everybody,” just to make it off the rock meant the world to him. “It means the world to me and I know it means the world to the island and definitely to the country,” said Edgecombe Jr, who now joins a field of at least 10 Bahamians and descendants who played in the NBA. He said he spent some long nights with his mother, Bendra Rolle, providing a generator for them to utilise for seven years while living on Bimini. “Man, seeing what she had to go through to feed us, man it’s crazy,” an emotional Edgecombe Jr said. “It’s crazy. It’s crazy. Man I don’t even know. My ma,
VALDEZ “VJ” Edgecombe Jr arrives for the first round of the NBA basketball draft on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger) my ma is my everything right now.” In being selected by the 76ers following the top pick by the Dallas Mavericks for Cooper Flagg and the San Antonio Spurs with Dylan Harper at No.2, Edgecombe Jr could earn at least $11.1 million this season, which would definitely change his family’s life. As for the 76ers, Daryl Morey, the president of Basketball Operations, said
they did their due diligence on scrutinising Edgecombe Jr before they made their final choice. Morey admitted that the 76ers have a pretty detailed process that enables them to evaluate the players from the high school level and everything they did before college and any involvement with their national team programmes. “I think we were seriously considering pretty
much. Early in the process it was about six and it was down to four and then we were deliberating up until the last days down to who we would pick and as we dug in, we felt like VJ was by far the best choice there,” he said. In joining a potent backcourt for the 76ers that is led by Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain, Edgecombe Jr said Maxey has already taken him under his wings
as they not only worked out, but they went to dinner and discussed the intricacies of the NBA and, in particular, Philadelphia. He didn’t get a chance to meet centre Joel Embiid or forward Paul George, whom Morey said both were unavailable at the time of Edgecombe Jr’s visit. But Edgecombe Jr said he looks up to the
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IS PLAYING Stage set for the return of WHEN THROUGH PAIN All Caribbean Wrestling TOO MUCH? Baha Bash II in Bahamas By Dr Kent L Bazard
“I’d do it again, and again after that.” That was NBA All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton’s powerful statement after suffering a full Achilles tendon rupture during the final game of the 2025 NBA Finals - an injury that abruptly ended his postseason and may cost him the upcoming season. He had been nursing tendinitis in the same
By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net THE stage is set for the return of the All Caribbean Wrestling Baha Bash II in the Bahamas on Saturday at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, featuring Bahamian Kaylia Capri and heavyweight champion “Pope” Elijah Burke. ACW’s CEO Mark Henry said at a press briefing yesterday at Breezes SuperClubs that they are delighted to be able to bring another edition of the Baha Bash back to The Bahamas. The event is being facilitated by the Ministry of Tourism. “We have a rich history of pro wrestling in the Caribbean. I talked to a guy named Norman Smiley, who wrestled here in 1994 as Black Magic and he can’t wait to come back,” Henry said. “There are so many people that now know that we are running in The Bahamas and they want to come here. We just have to get the sponsorships where we can up our money and to pay for people to come here.”
Achilles for weeks, pushing through in what he described as the biggest moment of his career. His story is both BAZARD inspiring and cautionary. It opens up the age-old debate in sports: when is it
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THE SPORTS June CALENDAR
THE RETURN of All Caribbean Wrestling Baha Bash II on Saturday at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar is expected to feature Bahamian Kaylia Capri and heavyweight champion “Pope” Elijah Burke. As they continue to develop their brand in The Bahamas, Henry said they will put on one of the most vibrant shows ever staged by ACW in the Caribbean on Saturday. “We had a great show here last time with over 650 people and we had to turn away about 120,” he
pointed out. “We won’t be turning away anybody this time. They added adequate space for us to hold about eight to 900 people. Hopefully we can get those numbers.” ACW’s COO Jeff Brazzle said the Bahamian people have embraced them and that is one of the
reasons why they decided to come back and put on another show. “Having something for the Caribbean people who love pro wrestling is really huge,” he said. “That is why we decided to bring it back here.”
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FITNESS STRENGTH & CONDITIONING CAMP Dr Kent Bazard will host Mark Henry, Olympic powerlifter and the world’s strongest man and WWE Hall of Famer in the World’s Strongest Kids Strength & Conditioning Camp. The camp, opened to boys and girls from ages eight to 18 years, is scheduled for 5pm
today at the Empire Fitness Center in the Seagrapes Plaza on Prince Charles Drive. Henry will provide tips for speed, conditioning, strength training, stretching, agility drills and technique. Interested persons are urged to email bahabash2. eventbrite.com or call 242-364-2001 for more information.
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