PHILADELPHIA (USA) - V.J. Edgecombe Jr. loves being a Philadelphia 76ers player. He relishes the opportunity to dazzle fans with his aerial artistry and dunks.
But something else is more important to him right now.
Speaking on Sixers teammate Jaylen Brown's Twitch Stream on Friday, Edgecombe let everyone know that more than anything, he wants to play in the big international basketball tournaments with the Bahamas.
"I saw you playing this summer for the Bahamas team," Brown said. "So what would it mean for you to represent the Bahamas in the Olympics?"
Edgecombe answered: "I'm going to be honest, that's more important. This might sound crazy, but I would rather do that than winning the championship in the NBA."
The path to the Olympics goes through the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 in Qatar. Edgecombe played in three World Cup Americas Qualifiers games for his country this summer and helped it beat Panama and Jamaica. He had 25 points against Panama, 19 in a defeat to Puerto Rico and 26 in the win over Jamaica.
Bahamas are 4-4 in Group F of the Second Round of the Qualifiers and in fourth place - two games adrift of both second place Uruguay and third-top Argentina.
To reach the World Cup, they need to finish in the top three of Group F, or be the best fourth-placed team. Mexico are fourth in Group E with a 5-3 record.
Bahamas have Americas Qualifiers games coming up against Argentina and Panama in next month's window and then in the last window, early next year, they have clashes with Uruguay and Argentina.
In the Americas Qualifiers, Edgecombe is the Bahama's players with the highest efficiency at 26.3 per game. In addition to leading the team in scoring at 23.3 points per game, Edgecombe, 21, leads the teams in steals at 3.0 per game.
His impact isn't surprising because two years ago, while still in his teens, Edgecombe wowed the crowd in Valencia, Spain, at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024, where Bahamas made it to the Final before falling to Spain.
To make it to the 2028 Los Angeles Games, Bahamas need a good showing at the World Cup. They must finish as one of the two best teams from the Americas other than the USA, who will play in LA as the host nation.
Otherwise, Bahamas would aim to finish high enough at the World Cup in order to reach one of the 2028 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments.
FIBA