The Philadelphia 76ers selected VJ Edgecombe with the third pick in the 2025 NBA draft. Four months later, the former Baylor guard scored 34 points in his NBA debut for the 76ers in a 117-116 road win over the Boston Celtics.
Edgecombe finished 7-for-8 in the paint and 5-for-5 on shots within 3 feet of the basket. His only blemishes of the night were the two free throws he missed with less than 10 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Edgecombe’s 34 points are the most in an NBA debut since Wilt Chamberlain‘s 43 in 1959. How does Edgecombe’s performance stack up against other top-performing rookies? Here is a look at the rookies with the most points in a single game in NBA history:
58 – Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors) in 129-122 win at New York Knicks on Feb. 21, 1960
58 – Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors) in 127-117 win vs. Detroit Pistons on Jan. 25, 1960
57 – Rick Barry (San Francisco Warriors) in 141-137 loss at New York Knicks on Dec. 14, 1965
56 – Earl Monroe (Baltimore Bullets) in 119-116 loss vs. Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 13, 1968
55 – Brandon Jennings (Milwaukee Bucks) in 129-125 win vs. Golden State Warriors on Nov. 14, 2009
55 – Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors) in 124-116 win at Cincinnati Royals on Nov. 12, 1959
55 – Elgin Baylor (Minneapolis Lakers) in 116-96 win vs. Cincinnati Royals on Feb. 25, 1959
54 – Elvin Hayes (San Diego Rockets) in 122-120 win vs. Detroit Pistons on Nov. 13, 1968
53 – Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors) in 126-108 win vs. Boston Celtics on Feb. 23, 1960
52 – Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors) in 126-111 win vs. Minneapolis Lakers on Jan. 5, 1960
51 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Milwaukee Bucks) in 140-127 win vs. Seattle SuperSonics on Feb. 21, 1970
50 – Allen Iverson (Philadelphia 76ers) in 125-118 loss at Cleveland Cavaliers on April 12, 1997
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