VJ Edgecombe had to control his excitement when talking to new teammate LeBron James

VJ Edgecombe had to control his excitement when talking to new teammate LeBron James originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Like many young NBA players, VJ Edgecombe grew up watching an NBA that had LeBron James as the best player. In fact, Edgecombe was not even born when James joined the NBA in 2003; he was born in 2005. As he was growing up, Edgecombe kept learning from NBA stars, including James.

Now, Edgecombe will be playing alongside James on the Philadelphia 76ers starting lineup. That would have been a wild statement to make last season, but it would have been even more unbelievable for Edgecombe, who had to grind to reach the NBA.

VJ Edgecombe knew he had to contain his excitement about teaming up with LeBron James

As a kid who grew up in The Bahamas, Edgecombe regularly watched the Miami Heat. He saw Dwyane Wade as one of his idols, which meant he got to watch LeBron all the time back in the Heatles days. Of course, he was quite young from 2010 to 2014, but he still remembers those days.

While Edgecombe modeled his game after Wade, he still appreciates what James has done to the NBA. For VJ’s entire life, LeBron has been a superstar, so it is easy for him to respect and appreciate him. Now, he can get a closer look at it because he will be playing alongside the four-time Finals MVP.

MORE: Jaylen Brown sees a promising VJ Edgecombe shining in his new role

When Edgecombe found out that James was joining the 76ers, it was clear that he was giddy about it. In private, he was celebrating James’ arrival, but when he spoke to his new teammate, he knew he had to control his excitement a bit.

“It’s amazing. I FaceTimed Bron; I was in disbelief. I had to act cool; I had to act like I’ve been there before. I’m on the phone, all cool, and stuff. I had headphones on, playing the game, you know what I’m saying? Had to act cool, but it was Bron; I was geeking,” Edgecombe said about his FaceTime call with James to Overtime.

There is a narrative about Edgecombe potentially being the loser of this new 76ers team. However, it seems VJ is ready to learn and prove that he is one of the league’s most promising players who will be learning from the likes of James and Jaylen Brown.

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