Each Friday, Inquirer photo editors pick the best Philly sports images from the last seven days. This week, we’re avoiding the weather and staying inside with plenty of hoops action — from the Big 5 to the Sixers. We’re also in the thick of Flyers season, so we won’t leave the ice totally behind. But first, Gritty.
If I had told you in October, as Joel Embiid recovered from his fourth knee surgery, that the 76ers star would, three months later, have played in 15 of the last 20 games and averaged 28.7 points and 8.1 rebounds in 33.5 minutes per game, you’d have been satisfied.
If I had told you in October that Giannis Antetokounmpo would, by late January, be open to moving on from Milwaukee, you would have been intrigued.
And if I had told you in October that Antetokounmpo reportedly would welcome a trade to the Sixers to be paired with starting All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey, you would have been excited.
Hopefully, Sixers president Daryl Morey is excited. Hopefully, he’s on his smartphone right now, speaking with Bucks GM Jon Horst. Nicely. Generously.
Hopefully, Morey is trying to trade Embiid for Giannis before the trade deadline Thursday.
Hopefully, Morey is not swayed by the recency bias that is inevitable when Embiid plays well and when a player like rookie VJ Edgecombe begins to emerge.
Reports Thursday indicated that the Sixers have not contacted the Bucks, but then, it’s trade season, and everybody lies about everything. Sixers fans should hope that this report is as hollow as the Sixers’ postseason runs over the past 25 years.
Because, incredibly, against all odds, fate has delivered Morey and the Sixers a miraculous escape route that would repair his recent mistakes and erase the entire 13-year stench of The Process.
It’s no sure bet, but Morey simply has to push all his chips in and snag the Greek Freak. He should do it today, before anybody else does, and before Embiid gets hurt again. Because, as sure as Democrats are going to cave to Donald Trump on the budget, Embiid — be it feet, eyes, knees, back, or hand — is going to get hurt again.
Morey needs this as much as the team and the city need it. Since arriving in 2020, he has been a big-move disaster.
Morey’s signature transactions: trading for, then extending James Harden, who held out and forced a trade; extending Embiid’s contract before last season, when Embiid was still injured; and, in July 2024, signing 34-year-old Paul George, who has been playing hurt since the ink dried on that deal.
These are not the sorts of moves Sixers owner Josh Harris hired Morey to make, but they might be the sorts of moves that convince Harris to fire him. Securing Antetokounmpo for the last four-plus seasons of his prime might not win the Sixers their first title since “Thriller” topped the charts, but it could, at least, buy Morey a little more time.
The Freak won’t come cheap.
Acquiring Giannis surely would mean trading not only Embiid and Edgecombe but maybe more, too. Perhaps second-year shooter Jared McCain. Perhaps even the Sixers’ next first-round pick, which, thanks to previous deals and contingencies, likely will come in 2027.
So what.
While there’s no guarantee Giannis is worth it, there are years of evidence that Embiid is not.
Antetokounmpo might never come cheaper. In this moment he has a right calf injury hat has lingered since early December, and there’s no timeline for his return, so he might not help much this season. He’s also 31, and he has a history of injury with his left calf. Calf injuries can lead to other issues, especially Achilles tendon injuries; just ask Tyrese Haliburton.
Again: So what.
Get the Freak a slant board, or a ProStretch, or whatever. I’ve got an extra one here at home.
For that matter, get him a litter carried by servants, like Cleopatra.
Get him whatever he needs.
Just get his butt to Philly.
No matter what his current status, Giannis is a far better bet for long-term health than is Embiid, whose long-term health isn’t even debated anymore. Hell, his short-term health is a constant issue. He’s been day-to-day every damn day of his 12-year career, and that’s a lot of days.
Entering Thursday night he had missed 451 of a possible 929 regular-season games in his career, or just under 49%. I’ve had three-owner used cars more dependable than The Process.
That said, when Embiid does play these days, he’s playing better basketball, and playing more minutes, than anyone could have reasonably expected in October. He’s in better condition than he’s been since 2017-18, his first full season (and his fourth in the league). For the first time in years, to use Sam Hinkie’s favorite expression, Embiid is a valuable asset.
You don’t believe Embiid’s a valuable asset? OK, neither do I, really. Fine. That doesn’t matter. It’s Morey’s job to make Horst believe it.
Morey must convince Horst that Embiid, who is owed an average of $62.7 million for the next three seasons, can help the Bucks in about 50 of their 82 regular-season games. Embiid’s availability for the postseason should be manageable, too; he’s missed only eight of 59 playoff games, and those games aren’t played back-to-back.
Don’t be sentimental. Be sensible.
Losing Edgecombe might hurt, but growth requires pain. Entering Thursday’s game, Edgecombe was averaging 15.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.5 steals, hitting 37.2% of his three-pointers. He makes two or three thrilling hustle plays per game and jumps out of the gym. He’s only 20 but he’s mature beyond his years. For that matter, he’s mature beyond Embiid’s years.
VJ is an excellent prospect with the ceiling of, say, Dwyane Wade. But he’s just that: a prospect, a player you hope develops in the future.
Giannis is a proven, top-three NBA star, today. For me, it goes Nikola Jokić, Luka Dončić, Freak-ić, and you can argue me into putting Giannis on top.
Last year, at 30, he ranked among the top five in most advanced metrics. He finished third in MVP voting, his fifth straight year in the top five after winning it twice in a row. It’s a waste of space here to extol Giannis’ inarguable skill and talent … even if former Sixers coach and current Bucks coach Doc Rivers might disagree.
“Joel’s the most talented player I’ve ever coached,” Rivers said Tuesday after the Sixers beat the visiting Bucks.
Rivers has coached several Hall of Famers, including Kevin Garnett, and, of course, Giannis.
Rivers is wrong. He might be nuts, or he might be cagey.
Doc has a history of sending messages through the media, however ill-advised or awkward. Tuesday’s statement might be aimed at making Giannis even more eager to leave Wisconsin. It also might grease the skids for Embiid to come to Milwaukee. If so, good Doctor, tamper away.
Giannis and Embiid make about the same amount of money, but, thanks to the labyrinthine NBA collective bargaining agreement, Antetokounmpo needs the deal to be done by the trade deadline so he will be eligible for a four-year, $275 million extension this fall.
Morey needs the deal to be done by Thursday to save the franchise.
And, maybe, his job.
PHILADELPHIA — Tyrese Maxey scored 40 points, including the winning layup with 1.3 seconds remaining, Joel Embiid had 37 points and the Philadelphia 76ers rallied to edge the Sacramento Kings 113-111 on Thursday night.
Paul George added 15 points for Philadelphia, which came back from an 11-point deficit in the fourth-quarter.
Dennis Schroder scored 27 points and DeMar DeRozan added 25 for the Kings, who have lost seven in a row.
After DeRozan missed a 14-footer that would have put the Kings in front, Embiid grabbed the rebound with 5.2 seconds left and Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse called a timeout. On the 76ers’ second attempt to inbound the ball on their ensuing possession, Kelly Oubre Jr. passed to Embiid at the top of the arc, and Maxey sprinted from half-court. He took the pass from Embiid and converted a driving, left-handed layup and was fouled by Precious Achiuwa.
Sacramento outscored the 76ers 38-28 in the third quarter to take a 92-88 advantage into the fourth. Zach LaVine’s three-point play with 7:44 remaining put Sacramento up 103-92. But Philadelphia rallied to score 13 of the next 15 points, tying the game at 105 on two free throws by Maxey to set the stage for the finish.
Sacramento dropped to 3-21 on the road and 0-4 on its six-game road trip.
The 76ers played their second straight game with a healthy Embiid and George, who each were listed as probable entering the contest. George tied a Philadelphia single-game record with nine 3-pointers in Tuesday’s 139-122 win over Milwaukee, a game in which Embiid had 29 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.
Russell Westbrook (right foot soreness), Malik Monk (right ankle soreness) and Keegan Murray (left ankle sprain) were sidelined for the Kings. Philadelphia’s Quentin Grimes (right ankle sprain) missed his second straight game.
The 76ers have made at least one move at five consecutive NBA trade deadlines since Daryl Morey took over as president of basketball operations in 2020.
Many of those moves slashed salaries, enabling the Sixers to avoid paying the luxury tax. However, the new acquisitions didn’t make the team’s playoff chances any better.
The Sixers are expected to continue their trend of making moves ahead of this season’s 3 p.m. deadline on Feb. 5. Here are five reasons the Sixers should be cautious at the deadline:
The Sixers are $7 million above the allowable threshold to avoid being taxed. They’re also around $1 million away from being a first-apron team and facing penalties.
Quentin Grimes ($8.7 million), Kelly Oubre Jr. ($8.3 million), and Andre Drummond ($5 million) have expiring contracts that could help avoid paying the threshold tax.
But trading a key contributor for the sake of avoiding being taxed would be a bad look for the franchise. It would give the impression that saving money for Sixers managing partner Josh Harris is more important than contending for a title. The team would come off looking cheap, especially considering that the Joel Embiid championship window is closing quickly.
The Sixers don’t have much to give up to upgrade talent via a trade. Aside from Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, the Sixers don’t have the assets to acquire the type of player who could drastically improve the team. And they’re not trading either of those guys. Nor should they forfeit their future by surrendering future draft picks to help facilitate a trade. The Sixers will need those picks to acquire young talent and continue building around Maxey and Edgecombe after Embiid and Paul George leave.
The Sixers are dangerous as currently constructed. When they play well, they can beat anyone in the East. They’ve won two of their three meetings against the conference’s second-place New York Knicks. The Sixers have done the same against the third-place Boston Celtics, and split the four-game series against the fourth-place Toronto Raptors. They’re 0-2 against the first-place Detroit Pistons. However, the Sixers were without Embiid and George in both games. And they still had opportunities to win before blowing fourth-quarter leads both times. So if they remain healthy, the Sixers are a team no one wants to face in the postseason.
If you bring in someone new, he’ll have to learn to play with Embiid. The current players spent half the season learning how to play with Embiid, Maxey, and George. And based on the Sixers’ early struggles with their Big Three intact, there’s clearly a learning curve to playing alongside Embiid, Maxey, and George.
Players like Oubre, Grimes, Drummond, Dominick Barlow, Jabari Walker, Adem Bona, Jared McCain, and Trendon Watford have established roles. Tinkering with that could negatively impact the team, especially if the Sixers are not acquiring a major upgrade in talent.
With Drummond and Bona backing up Embiid, who is back to playing at a high level, the center position is set. However, league sources say the Sixers are open to trading Drummond, even though he and Bona have been equally valuable assets, playing behind and often in place of Embiid, who misses games because of knee injury management.
Bona plays against the teams that have fast and athletic centers, while Drummond usually plays against towering centers who flourish in the post.
The 6-foot-11 Drummond averages a team-leading 8.9 rebounds while playing just 20 minutes per game. Drummond is second in the NBA in rebounds per 36 minutes at 16.0, trailing the Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson (16.9). And he has started 17 of the games Embiid has missed, averaging 8.6 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in those contests.
Sixers guards Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe have landed on the latest cover of SLAM Magazine, marking the second time both players have been featured on the cover page, but the first time together.
Maxey was first featured on the cover of SLAM’s February/March 2024 issue. Meanwhile, Edgecombe made his cover debut as part of SLAM’s 2024 high school all-American team. Now, the young guards share the stage as members of the Sixers.
The Sixers “box office” backcourt has ignited a new hope within the Philadelphia fan base, with the team already surpassing its win total from all of last season. Edgecombe, the team’s third-overall pick, made a historic debut — finishing the night with 34 points, the most in a Sixers rookie’s first game in franchise history, and the most scored in any NBA debut since Wilt Chamberlain.
Since then, Edgecombe has been one of the league’s top rookies, averaging 15.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. The rookie’s breakout season has earned himself a selection in this year’s Rising Stars Challenge during NBA All-Star Weekend — and a shoutout from the Prime Minister of the Bahamas.
Maxey will also be at All-Star Weekend. The sixth-year pro was named a starter for the NBA All-Star game, making him the first Sixers guard to be named a starter since Allen Iverson in 2010. Maxey’s second All-Star nod comes after averaging 29.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.8 assists.
Maxey and Edgecombe, who have been having fun together on and off the court, are part of a long list of current and former Sixers who have graced the cover, including Allen Iverson, Joel Embiid, Jerry Stackhouse, James Harden, and Ben Simmons.
Joel Embiid and Paul George, once again, showed why their presence is vital to the 76ers’ success.
Jared McCain appears to have regained his shooting touch.
And in his third season as the Milwaukee Bucks coach, Doc Rivers still thinks back fondly on his time leading the Sixers.
These things stood out in Tuesday’s 139-122 victory over the Bucks at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
If we learned anything over the past two days, it’s that the Sixers (25-21) are a better team when Embiid and George are in the lineup.
Without them Monday, the Sixers suffered an embarrassing 130-93 road loss to the Eastern Conference’s 11th-place Charlotte Hornets. It was a game where they trailed by as many as 50 points.
With Embiid and George back Tuesday, the Sixers led wire-to-wire in a blowout victory over the 12th-place Bucks (18-27). The duo combined to score 61 points.
George finished with a game-high 32 points while making nine three-pointers, tying Tyrese Maxey (Oct. 28, 2022), Danny Green (Jan. 9, 2021), and Dana Barros (Jan. 27, 1995) for the franchise record.
“I got a little thirsty late in the game, trying to get to 10,” George said. “Kyle [Lowry] was in my ear the whole fourth quarter to get a couple more. But you know, those things happen when everything aligns. I thought we played great offensively as a unit. And, you know, the ball just found me in those moments and knocked shots down.”
So did Embiid, who finished with 29 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. Embiid dominated from the start, scoring 18 of his points while playing the entire first quarter.
He did that in a variety of ways: jumpers, tip-ins, and even a reverse layup. But his highlight came on a second-quarter alley-oop dunk off a pass from Maxey.
“I don’t know if that was a wise decision, but it felt good,” said Embiid, who has been dealing with knee injuries. “That was the first one in probably four, five years …”
He said it wasn’t a wise decision because he doesn’t usually go for dunks and alley-oops.
“But it’s fun,” Embiid said. “Everybody gets happy, so that makes me happy.”
“I was telling a very, very, very Hall of Fame player that I coached, ‘Joel is the most talented player that I ever coached,’ “ Rivers said before the game. “He was like, ‘What?’ I was like, ‘He is.’ The things that you guys see and then the things you actually don’t see in practice, sometimes, that he can do, it’s incredible. It really is.
“Unfortunately for me, I never had him healthy once in the playoffs. He wasn’t healthy last year. He wasn’t healthy the year before. That’s five years straight, I think. If he ever gets to the playoffs healthy, especially if they added some big pieces here, they are going to be a dangerous team. But it’s always going to come down to that.”
After intermission, Embiid was content with setting teammates up for quality shots. He passed out of double-teams. And when Embiid didn’t have the ball, he instructed teammates where passes should go.
George made 11 of 21 from the field, including 16 in the third quarter while making 4 of 6 threes.
“I think coach [Nick Nurse] called my number early, and just go off from there,” George said of taking over the third quarter.
But what enabled him to have his best shooting performance of the season? Was this a matchup that he liked?
“I just know Doc,” said George, who played for Rivers during the 2019-20 season with the Los Angeles Clippers. “I know his coverages. I know his play calling. I know what he’s looking at, what he’s looking for, how he’s going to guard me.
“… These days just feel like some of my best days, as far as my body responds and, you know. But if anything, it’s how today felt.”
The duo’s presence also opened up the floor for Maxey, who was voted an All-Star starter. The point guard finished with 22 points one night after finishing with a season-low six points on 3-for-12 shooting.
The Sixers shot 52.5 %, including 22 of 42 three-pointers, after shooting just 38.9% while hitting 9 of 31 three-pointers against the Hornets (19-28).
Milwaukee played without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. And this was just the Sixers’ fourth victory in 10 games. But the way George and Embiid are now playing after getting healthy, George thinks the Sixers can contend for the Eastern Conference title.
“I think we’re right there with the New York Knicks, with the Clevelands,” he said. “I think we are right in the mix. When things are clicking, and we’re playing the right way, and we’re firing on all cylinders, we still have the one unguardable player [in Embiid], and that’s the trump card.
“So yeah, absolutely, we got a chance.”
Based on his last two performances, McCain’s slump is definitely over. And judging by the applause he received Tuesday night, Sixers fans appear to be back on board with the former Duke standout.
McCain, who shot just 31.3% from the field in a recent 10-game stretch, had 17 points while shooting 6-for-8 — including making 5 of 6 three-pointers — to go with three assists. This came after he made 4 of 8 threes while scoring 16 points against the Hornets on Monday.
Before that game, McCain racked up a did-not-play coach’s decision in four of the Sixers’ last five games. In the one game he played, he only played the last 47 seconds in a comfortable victory over the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 19.
With Quentin Grimes sidelined with a sprained right ankle, McCain was the first player off the bench against the Bucks, and he took full advantage.
The Sixers fired Rivers on May 16, 2023, two days after he received a lot of the blame for their 112-88 Game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals at TD Garden. It marked the third consecutive season that Rivers’ squad has suffered a second-round postseason exit.
The Sixers lost in seven games to the Atlanta Hawks in 2021 before losing in six games to the Miami Heat the following season.
The 2022-23 team looked like it had a chance to compete for an NBA title. Yet the Sixers looked like a team that quit in the second half during their Game 7 loss to Boston.
Those factors, along with an inability to get out of the second round, were the reasons the Sixers fired Brett Brown as coach in August 2020.
Under Rivers, the Sixers clinched the 2021 Eastern Conference regular-season title. Their 54-28 record in 2022-23 was their best mark since going 56-26 in 2000-01. And Embiid’s game improved each year under Rivers, leading to his becoming the 2023 MVP.
But the Sixers hired Rivers to get them at least beyond the second round. And that never happened.
“I love my time here,” he said before Tuesday’s game. “I say it all the time, I took a job where the year before they lost in the first round as the eighth seed. And the first year, we won the East in the regular season. We were one game away twice from getting in the Eastern finals, which was never my goal. My goal was to get to the finals. I get the history that the team hasn’t gone [since 2001], but your goal has to be higher than that.
“I was only here for three years. But the three years, I think my winning record was as good as any coach that has been here. So I loved it.”
Rivers compiled a 154-82 record over his three seasons in Philly. The 64-year-old talked about the “unbelievable relationships” he developed while coaching the Sixers. He said he probably gained 15 pounds while living in Philly because of the restaurants he frequented.
“I don’t know if you guys know there’s a lot of restaurants here,” Rivers said. “And then Philly Cricket [Club], I’m still a member. I come back in the summer, and I play it. If I had not ever coached here, I would not still be doing those things.
“So it’s nice when you get friendships and stuff like that.”
As Jared McCain’s transition three-pointer splashed through the net, VJ Edgecombe yelled “Yeah, ‘Mac!’” in his face.
And on the opposite end of the floor, the 76ers’ bench was going nuts for the second-year guard.
“That’s all you want as a player,” McCain said. “Making shots, you want your team to be excited for you. When I looked over at the bench and they were all jumping up and down, it was a fun time.”
They were celebrating one of the four three-pointers that McCain buried during Tuesday’s fourth quarter as part of a 17-point night on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. It was the scoring punch the Sixers needed in a 139-122 bounce-back home victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, with sixth man Quentin Grimes out with a sprained ankle.
More importantly, it was a long-awaited breakout performance for McCain, who has struggled to rediscover his offensive rhythm since returning from knee and thumb surgeries.
“What I’m most grateful for,” McCain said, “is just being able to stay mentally ready and know it’s going to come.”
McCain entered Tuesday averaging 6.4 points on 36.1% shooting from the floor in 32 games. It felt far removed from last season, when the former first-round draft pick averaged 15.3 points — and connected on 38.3% of his 5.8 three-point attempts — in his first 23 NBA games, making him an early Rookie of the Year front-runner before a torn meniscus and thumb ligament sidelined him for nearly 11 months.
Yet Tuesday’s welcomed upswing also could be viewed as a continuation of perhaps the only silver lining of the Sixers’ dreadful 130-93 loss Monday afternoon in Charlotte, N.C. With the starters removed in the fourth quarter, McCain, who played one season at nearby Duke, scored 12 of his 16 points on 4-of-6 shooting from deep.
There was no such thing as garbage time, McCain insisted. The cliche that simply seeing the ball drop through the net builds confidence is accurate, he added. And when Grimes was ruled out of Tuesday’s matchup about an hour before tipoff, McCain knew he would get rotation minutes.
Those came even quicker when Edgecombe picked up two early fouls. McCain got his first two buckets — stepping into a three-pointer from the left wing, then driving to the bucket for a crafty layup — while playing in the two-man game with star center Joel Embiid. Nurse also appreciated McCain’s “really good decisions” with the ball in his hands, with three assists in 24 minutes, 10 seconds and using attacks to ignite the “chain-reaction ball movement” as the Sixers shot 52.5% from the floor.
Then came McCain’s fourth-quarter shooting flurry.
He opened the period by taking a dribble handoff from Paul George for a pull-up from the right wing to give the Sixers a 109-95 advantage. Then he spotted up for another less than three minutes later, pushing the Sixers’ lead to 16 points. And 20 seconds after taking the feed from Edgecombe for that fastbreak launch, McCain received a pass off an offensive rebound by Justin Edwards for the corner shot.
“Maybe I’m starting to predict the future,” All-Star teammate Tyrese Maxey said after the game, “I [told McCain], ‘Man you’re going to hit four threes tonight.’ And he hit five.’”
Before this week, McCain had been navigating a challenging path back to the court.
He dealt with a clunky knee brace that made him feel unbalanced, along with protection on his shooting hand. Though Nurse said McCain needed to log more minutes to work through rust and mistakes, Edgecombe and Grimes had passed him on the depth chart. McCain was assigned to the G League’s Delaware Blue Coats for a second time less than two weeks ago, going 5-of-18 from the floor and committing six turnovers in his only game at the Noblesville Boom on Jan. 18. He traveled from Indiana back to the Sixers less than 48 hours later, but still had slipped completely out of the rotation.
During that stretch as an observer, McCain said he paid close attention to where he would get shots in the Sixers’ offense and visualized those attempts going in. He also rededicated himself to the practice of staying present. During Tuesday’s morning meditation, he said, he focused on feeling his breath in through his nostrils, then the heat of the exhale on his upper lip.
“That just sets you into the present moment,” McCain said, “and I think that’s what I carried over.”
Nurse, meanwhile, recognized the adversity had initially been “really hard” for McCain to shoulder. Yet the coach noticed a recent flip to more outward positivity “whether he’s playing or not, which is hard to do coming out of the season he had” before the injuries.
“I just keep telling him to have patience and hang in there,” Nurse said. “I say to him, ‘Listen, things will change, I guarantee you. Before too long, something’s going to happen where something’s going to open up for you.”
That opportunity arrived Tuesday. And it culminated in four long-range splashes in the fourth quarter — and a fired-up Sixers bench.
“I knew my time was going to come,” McCain said. “And I knew it’s going to continue to come.”
Allen Iverson is being criticized for an allegedly disrespectful visit with a children’s cancer charity in Australia, after a viral Reddit post called out the former Sixer for “absolutely disgusting” conduct at the hospital.
Challenge, a Melbourne-based charity supporting children with cancer, has hosted NBA players such as Shaquille O’Neal, Cameron Johnson, Josh Giddey, Seth Curry, and Carmelo Anthony for visits in the past.
Challenge chief executive officer David Rogers told The Inquirer in a statement on Tuesday that Iverson spent almost two hours engaging with media, executives, and high-profile sports figures, but “in stark contrast,” described the Hall of Famer’s conduct with the children and families as “unacceptable.”
Iverson was set to do a 45-minute meet-and-greet with children and families supported by Challenge. Iverson was more than 90 minutes late, and according to the Reddit post, decided not to sign anything or speak to anyone, adding that his security said he was “having a bad day.”
“My little brother who is 12 years old and is currently receiving chemotherapy for ALCL lymphoma, was so excited to meet one of his idols,” the Reddit post reads. “He came out to be extremely disgusted and disappointed in Allen Iversons[’] [behavior], and so were the other [families].”
Iverson took one group photo and then ended the visit. The poster did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Challenge was deeply disappointed with the meet and greet involving Allen Iverson,” Rogers said in the statement. “There was nothing further we could have done as an organization to improve the experience and, despite working diligently on the day to manage a challenging and at times disrespectful approach from his management team, we believe Allen Iverson ultimately let down the children and families who came to meet him.”
Iverson and his management team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The incident was one of a number of reportedly bad events on Iverson’s recent tour of Australia. Former NBL player Chris Anstey posted on Instagram that Iverson skipped a scheduled free guest-speaking experience with CreativeCubes.Co in Melbourne, canceling two hours after the event was set to begin.
Another former NBL player, Jason Cadee, said on a podcast that Iverson was invited to HoopsFest in Perth, and he spoke for just a few minutes on stage before skipping his scheduled meet-and-greet.
“Iverson comes across and he speaks,” Cadee said. “He walks in the room and he speaks, he spoke pretty well for about seven minutes or eight minutes, gives the mic up and just leaves, that’s it. Apparently there was supposed to be photos, supposed to be some time to mingle, [but he was] out. That was it.”
As John Buck watched the final seconds of the Dec. 4 matchup between the 76ers and Golden State Warriors, he was unsurprised by how VJ Edgecombe reacted to teammate Tyrese Maxey’s deep fadeaway jumper with 2.5 seconds remaining.
Edgecombe instantly sensed where the ball might be if the shot fell short, Buck said, then “slithered” into that space, elevated, and grabbed the partially blocked attempt to convert a game-winning putback.
“How many guards just stand there and watch the ball get shot and hope it goes in?” said Buck, who coached Edgecombe at Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y. “VJ was moving into the spot where it may have missed.”
Yes, Edgecombe’s athleticism is electric. Yes, the rookie’s three-point shooting has been a pleasant surprise. But perhaps what Sixers coach Nick Nurse and teammates have raved most about Edgecombe so far is his beyond-his-years basketball IQ.
That natural feel helped put Edgecombe in position to be one of the NBA’s top rookies — on Monday night he was named to the Rising Stars roster for All-Star Weekend — along with an immediate starter for a Sixers team in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, and a player already with a knack for clutch fourth-quarter moments on both ends of the floor. When asked recently about this aspect of his game, Edgecombe agreed it has “played a lot” into his early NBA success.
“If you watch the game,” Edgecombe told The Inquirer at his locker last week, “you understand the game, understand the flow of the game, the importance of possessions, I rely on my IQ a lot. That’s the most [important part] of the game, the mental part.
“I just try to make sure I’m locked in mentally, to make certain plays and be decisive.”
So what are the origins of such a trait? Matter-of-factly, Edgecombe says, “I watch so much basketball.”
As a child in Bimini, the Bahamas, he initially spent the bulk of his free time playing the sport on dirt courts and makeshift hoops outside. But once his mother bought him a tablet as a middle schooler, YouTube became an endless supply of player highlights and archived games. He could utilize his already “really good memory” while transitioning from watching for entertainment to studying. He even discovered some of Maxey’s film from his time playing for South Garland High School in the Dallas suburbs.
“He didn’t believe me,” Edgecombe said, explaining how he told Maxey after they became Sixers teammates. “And I had to literally tell him my basketball knowledge.”
When Edgecombe moved to the United States and eventually joined Long Island Lutheran’s nationally ranked program, he received access to online scouting reports with full games or clips from opponents. While Buck said he needed to “beg” some players to spend time reviewing that film while walking down the aisle during bus rides to games, Edgecombe’s commitment to that preparation was “elite.”
That gave Edgecombe the confidence to make suggestions about defensive coverages or individual assignments during timeouts, Buck said. And to better leverage his supreme physical gifts.
Buck witnessed it on blocks, when Edgecombe could pin the ball on the glass because he beat the shooter to the spot. Or in his timing on offensive rebounds. Or whenever he got into a shooting rhythm because he picked the correct moments to fire away, later prompting Buck to chuckle when NBA scouts called to ask about his three-point potential as a professional. The early returns vindicate that reaction, with Edgecombe entering Monday 12-of-22 on “clutch” NBA three-pointers, including an overtime game-winner at Memphis in late December.
“There are players who are extremely athletic,” Buck told The Inquirer by phone earlier this month, “but you don’t see it in the flow of a game, or you see it rarely. … With [Edgecombe], it would show up in so many ways.”
Another coach who valued Edgecombe’s IQ: Baylor’s Scott Drew.
During Edgecombe’s lone college season, Drew recognized his “boldness” to speak up during practices, “wisdom” to be accurate with his question or suggestion, and “heart” to keep it centered on the team. Most freshmen in his program, Drew added, only learn one position that first season. Edgecombe could play every spot but center, offering the Bears flexibility to use him as a lead ballhandler or as a power forward in four-guard lineups.
“It allows a coach to have an opportunity to steal a couple baskets by putting in new plays [and] doing things that are harder to guard,” Drew said last week. “And in one-, two-, three-possession games, if you have enough of those plays, you win a lot of those games.”
When Edgecombe first arrived in Philly, Nurse also asked himself, “How did he get like this?”
Nurse quickly recognized Edgecombe had already “absorbed a lot of basketball — and, probably, a little bit obsessively” because of his interest in the game’s history. That is not as common as an outsider might think for a player born in 2005, but was apparent to Nurse when Edgecombe marveled while walking into Chicago’s United Center for the first time.
Edgecombe’s inquisitive nature during practices also has continued at the NBA level. While still building out schemes throughout the first half of the season, Nurse said, Edgecombe could already identify future wrinkles. Edgecombe said he typically first goes to a teammate to clarify if such additions are possible, then to coaches to get their point of view.
“I just want to make sure my team is in the best possible [situation],” said Edgecombe, who entered Monday averaging 15.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.5 steals.
Added Nurse: “I answer them a lot with, ‘We’re getting to that.’ … Then you kind of quickly explain, ‘Yeah, we can do that, and here’s what happens. That’ll be coming when we need it — and when we see it and when we can polish and can put it in.’”
On the court, that IQ has translated to Edgecombe immediately taking on some ballhandling responsibilities — and committing only two combined turnovers when Maxey missed two games with an illness. Veteran forward Paul George has been most impressed with Edgecombe’s defensive savvy, recognizing when to make sharp rotations or well-timed playmaking risks. Edgecombe’s feel also shows up in how he spaces the floor on offense, clocks when a teammate has not gotten a shot recently, and balances when to be aggressive with the ball in his hands or facilitate.
“He could be a guy that just takes off,” Nurse added, “and jumps in the air and figures it out three or four seconds later. But he doesn’t do that. He makes pretty good basketball plays.”
That is why Nurse has reiterated that he still wants more out of Edgecombe, even as the Sixers’ roster has returned to full strength. Following a Jan. 16 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Maxey told Edgecombe in the locker room that taking only five shots “is not going to cut it for us.” Nurse also has shown Edgecombe film examples of more opportunities to attack the rim or create space for a pull-up jumper.
“He’s just a little too unselfish for me,” Nurse said. “I know that sounds funny, but we need him to use those gifts a little bit more. … I’m like, ‘That was a great move. You only did it once last night. I need like eight of those.’”
Edgecombe acknowledged last week that he is “still learning” but does feel the game slowing down. And he flashed that knack during Saturday’s loss to the New York Knicks. In less than five seconds of the game’s final minute, he buried a three-pointer, forced a jump ball on a tie-up with Jalen Brunson, made two free throws after being fouled to cut the Sixers’ deficit to three points — and nearly drew an off-ball foul on Brunson before the ensuing inbounds pass, but that call was overturned on a coach’s challenge.
Buck is not exactly shocked that such high-IQ play is fueling Edgecombe’s rookie season. He saw it in that heads-up putback against Golden State. And in a game-winning three-pointer in Memphis.
And, behind the scenes, when Edgecombe paid an impromptu visit to a Long Island Lutheran practice just before his rookie season began.
“We’re running a set, and he kind of waves me over,” Buck recalled. “And he’s like, ‘Hey, Coach. I think the spacing for this guy right here should be a little bit different to maximize the play.’ That’s just not normal for a 19-, 20-year-old guy to be coming to practice, not just kind of chilling or being there to be there. But kind of saying, ‘Hey, let me look at this. I think there’s a way to improve that.’”
Now, Edgecombe is applying that as an NBA rookie, to a degree drawing raves from his coach and teammates.
“He’s not out there looking lost or forcing anything,” George said. “He kind of just lets the game come to him. And that right there makes the greats, greats. …
“The game just evolves around them, and that’s kind of what he has.”
It was no surprise that VJ Edgecombe was chosen Monday to play in the Rising Stars Challenge as part of NBA All-Star Weekend.
The event will showcase some of the league’s top first- and second-year players along with premier NBA G-League talent in a mini-tournament, with four teams playing three games on Feb. 13 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.
The 76ers’ rookie shooting guard has been expected to take part in the event since the beginning of his breakout season. His selection was made official Monday on Peacock before the tipoff of the nationally televised game between the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers.
The selected NBA players will be drafted onto three teams at 7 p.m. Tuesday on Peacock, while the fourth team will be composed of G League players.
The other rookie selections are Dylan Harper (San Antonio Spurs), Cedric Coward (Memphis Grizzlies), Tre Johnson (Washington Wizards), Egor Dёmin (Brooklyn Nets), Kon Knueppel (Charlotte Hornets), Jeremiah Fears (New Orleans Pelicans), Collin Murray-Boyles (Toronto Raptors), Cooper Flagg (Dallas Mavericks), and Derik Queen (Pelicans).
Matas Buzelis (Chicago Bulls), Alex Sarr (Wizards), Stephon Castle (Spurs), Reed Sheppard (Houston Rockets), Donovan Clingan (Portland Trail Blazers), Cam Spencer (Grizzlies), Kyshawn George (Wizards), Jaylon Tyson (Cleveland Cavaliers), Ajay Mitchell (Oklahoma City Thunder), Kel’el Ware (Miami Heat), and Jaylen Wells (Grizzlies) are the second-year players selected.
Meanwhile, the G-League selections are Ron Harper Jr. (Maine Celtics), Sean East II (Salt Lake City Stars), Alijah Martin (Raptors 905), Tristen Newton (Rio Grande Valley Vipers), David Jones Garcia (Austin Spurs), Yang Hansen (Rip City Remix), and Yanic Konan Niederhauser (San Diego Clippers).
Edgecombe, who was selected third in June’s NBA draft, has been one of the league’s top rookies.
On opening night, the 20-year-old produced 34 points on 13-for-26 shooting to go with seven rebounds in the Sixers’ 117-116 victory over the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. It was the third-highest scoring debut in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 43 points on Oct. 24, 1959, and Frank Selvy’s 35 on Nov. 30, 1954. He also has had two game-winning baskets. The first one came Dec. 4 against the Golden State Warriors at Xfinity Mobile Arena. He scored a putback with 0.9 seconds left after Golden State’s De’Anthony Melton blocked Tyrese Maxey’s shot.
After that play, Maxey blocked Melton’s layup attempt at the buzzer, enabling the Sixers to escape with a 99-98 victory. But Edgecombe set the play in motion because he was in the right place at the right time.
The second winning basket came when Edgecombe buried a 25-foot three-pointer with 1.7 seconds left in overtime to give the Sixers a 139-136 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Dec. 30 at FedExForum.
The Bahamian was averaging 15.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.5 steals heading into Monday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center.