After basketball player Valdez “V.J.” Edgecombe Jr. became the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft on June 25, he broke into tears.
Edgecombe, a shooting guard drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers, is from Bimini, a small island chain in The Bahamas — where his family once struggled for necessities like food and lights in their home, he said in an interview with NBA TV after getting drafted.
“I ain’t have no electricity — I lived off a generator for seven years,” said Edgecombe, 19, crediting his single mother for his success. “Seeing what she had to go through to feed us? It’s crazy.”
Edgecombe hasn’t signed a contract with the 76ers yet, but he’s in for a payday: NBA rookie contracts have pay scales determined by draft position, and the No. 3 slot comes with a maximum contract of $50.4 million over four years, including two team option years.
The 76ers drafted Edgecome after he played collegiately at Baylor University for one season, during which he inked name, image and likeness (NIL) deals with companies including PSD Underwear and Panini America. He recently established a partnership with Adidas, the company announced on the day of the draft.
It’s unconfirmed exactly how much he’s made, or will make, from these contracts — but even pre-draft, he gave some money back to his old school in The Bahamas, called Gateway Christian Academy, in the form of scholarships. A representative from Edgecombe’s agency, Wasserman, did not immediately respond to CNBC Make It’s request for comment.
“I came to America to play basketball, knowing I’ve got to feed my family and all of that. That’s definitely helped me and the person that I am right now. Just work harder than everybody else,” Edgecombe told SLAM Magazine in May 2024. “I don’t want to be in that [percentage] that don’t make it out. I want to be in the part that makes it out and sets the standard high and sets a path for all the younger kids behind me.”
Struggle can often build resilience — a sentiment shared by a number of highly successful people, ranging from real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
“Greatness is not intelligence. Greatness comes from character. And character isn’t formed out of smart people, it’s formed out of people who suffered,” Huang said at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research in March 2024. And, “unfortunately, resilience matters in success.”
For Edgecombe, watching his mom do all she could to provide for him and his three siblings inspired him to give basketball his all, he said in a post-draft interview.
“I”m just going in there. Whatever coach needs me to do, I’m going to do,” he said. “Just to [make it out of The Bahamas] means the world.”
Are you ready to buy a house? Take Smarter by CNBC Make It’s new online course How to Buy Your First Home. Expert instructors will help you weigh the cost of renting vs. buying, financially prepare, and confidently navigate every step of the process—from mortgage basics to closing the deal. Sign up today and use coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% off $97 (+taxes and fees) through July 15, 2025.
Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It’s newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life, and request to join our exclusive community on LinkedIn to connect with experts and peers.
Leave a Reply