This story appears in SLAM 249.
Under the hot, unyielding sun of Bimini, 8-year-old V.J. Edgecombe grew his love for the game. Sitting inside our studio at SLAM HQ, the nations’ No. 4-ranked player reminisces on those pick-up games in the yard with a grin that’s shining just as much as his diamond earrings.
“I was just out there having fun, I didn’t really care about talent. We just wanted to play to have fun,” Edgecombe says.
But talent is something the now-18-year-old has always possessed. It was just a matter of time before those outside of the islands came to know his name. After going toe to toe with juniors and seniors as a 13-year-old at Buddy Hield’s basketball camp in the Bahamas, V.J. decided to capitalize on his powers and potential by heading to the States to chase his dual dream: make the NBA and support his family.
The transition was smooth, Edgecombe says, but the reality of spending your teenage years in an entirely new country hasn’t been without its challenges. “I know it’s all for the best,” he says, “so I can sacrifice that for sure.”
Jared ebanks 