VJ-Edgecomb s handwriting: People always say I won t succeed, but they re all wrong

(This article was published on July 30, and the author is 76ers' this year's Tanhua Show VJ-Edgecom. The content of the article does not represent the translator's views.)

I don't even know where to start. I'm just very grateful. I walked all the way from an island like Bimini and finally came to the Sixers.

I will never forget the draft night. I was in the small green house in New York at that time, with my mom, coach and all my relatives and friends. My cousins ​​and aunts are also here.

We were there, and I relaxed with my family and enjoyed the atmosphere. Watch as the president announces Cooper and Dylan's names. But I've also been paying attention to my agent, you know. Then he got a call and just looked at me and nodded like the Secret Service. Ha ha. Everything became blurred afterwards. I tried to get myself up, hug my family, hug everyone, and then step onto the stage. ESPN interviewed me as soon as I stepped down. Then I thought, it should be a show like "Good Morning America".

I remember they asked me, "What's in your suit?"

I opened my jacket, looked down, and tears began to flow. It says "Sugar" to commemorate my first coach, Glasson - "Sugar" - Robbins. He has been dead for a while. He was the first to tell me that I could enter the league, and he always believed me, always so. I really realized it all at that moment when I saw his name. It's like, my goodness, we really did it. I know you are proud of me in heaven.

It was indeed an emotional night. There is a moment I will never forget, that is, when I was interviewed, I cried when I remembered the hardships of the past. I mean, we are from Bimini. Our island is only seven miles long and half a mile wide. If the tsunami comes, I can only pray! But to be honest, this kind of thing is not common to us. It's hard to get into the NBA. Entering the NBA from Bimini? I don't know the exact probability, but maybe only 0.000001% chance. Honestly, this may not be enough zero.

So, I was very excited at the time.

My family used to live on generators.

Now I play for the Philadelphia 76ers.

After the draft, my family and friends held a small celebration for me. Everyone was very excited. But as the night gets deeper, I have to admit that a small part of my heart is saying, "Brother, I'm really tired." I'm exhausted. All the adrenaline, tears and celebrations were exhausted. I can't wait to go to bed. When I felt everything gradually calmed down and we had left enough good memories, I quietly left early. I went back to the room and changed my clothes, thinking to myself, "I can finally take off this suit." That may be the longest time I have been wearing a suit. Then I fell asleep.

Imagine that I was lying on the bed in a hotel, sleeping soundly under the quilt, and maybe I was drooling a little. Ha ha. Suddenly, my phone started to vibrate. It was a call from a friend of mine.

I said, "Hey, what's wrong?"

I rubbed my eyes and was so sleepy.

He shouted on the phone, "What are you doing?!"

Balabala was a lot, and basically told me to get up quickly.

Okay, I just got selected by the NBA, so I can understand his mood as well. So I got up and went to my friend's Airbnb. To be honest, I can make up a story about having fun all night until dawn, but I have to be honest. I fell asleep again on their couch. Ha ha. When I woke up again, it was the next morning and I was about to fly to Philadelphia in three hours.

You know, you're going to take a private jet.

No, just a joke. I'm still a rookie.

So I drove to Philadelphia to report.

If you ask me, every country has similarities, both a tourist side and a local life side. Bimini is no exception.

On the island where I live, and throughout the Bahamas, culture is full of love. Walking on the street, you will see many elderly people sitting outside chatting and observing the past. We are used to wave or say hello to everyone we meet, saying "Good morning", "Good afternoon", "How are you?" or something like that. Then continue moving forward. You don't see people talking to each other like this everywhere, but in Bimini, everyone knows each other. So if something happens, everyone on the island will know. This is a beautiful island with clear waters and every house is painted in a different color. I still remember when I painted my grandma's house. Sometimes people want to change to a new theme or color just to feel a different atmosphere.

As a kid, I spent most of my time playing with my cousins ​​in the yard or playing with my friends on a certain court. There is usually no electricity at home during the day. While we didn’t get everything we wanted, we had everything we needed and mom made sure it was for us. It was a great blessing for me to be raised by her and grandma.

They always emphasize that politeness and respect will make you go further in this world. And mom always teaches us a lesson when we know we have done something wrong! I'm often beaten. Ha ha. I am the one who has been beaten the most among my mother's children. Those shoes...well. She has those little plastic jelly slippers, do you know what I'm talking about? Oh my God, that thing is really bad. They are a little fragile, but they hurt to fight. We are causing trouble ourselves, such as when we go home late, the street lights are on. Oh, but I'm not angry. These lessons have taught me self-discipline and made me safe.

I started playing basketball at the age of seven or eight because of coach Sugar.

He had an impact on the teenage basketball throughout the island, starting with my mom's generation. "I don't have to pay for accommodation or anything else. I'm very grateful for everything Luci did for me. There, my life changed.

That's 2022.

Fast forward to the summer of 2024 and I received an invitation to represent the Bahamas national team in the Olympic qualifiers.

I thought, why not?

It's a great opportunity to train with high-level players - NBA players like Ayton, Hilder and Eric Gordon. It's also a good match for exposure. There are benefits, you know. Basically, I didn't expect to really play. Haha. I thought I would be treated like a young player, sitting on the sidelines to watch the game, training... In my heart, I didn't feel like I could let that happen.

On the first day of training, I wanted to get noticed. I spoke loudly to everyone and strengthened my confidence. I knew as a young man, they might think you would be scared. But I wasn't afraid. I just wanted them to remember what I did in this training. Even if they never see me again, remember Living me. I can't waste this opportunity. Even if I didn't play, I had to show my abilities. I also learned a lot from those trainings. We weren't here to make fun of it. Every time it was serious. This was the main thing I got from it. I remember in Greece, they arranged young players against NBA players, and we did withstand the pressure.

I still remember our first game against Finland. Their fans chanted slogans on the spot and the scene was very lively. It was great to see the enthusiasm of different countries for basketball. Then the coach sent me on the court , I was ready. When I first stepped on the court, I thought: It's just basketball, don't think too much. I started defending, shooting, breaking, passing the ball after I got on the court. I was willing to do whatever I needed to do. That game was a breakthrough for me. I scored about 20 points against professionals and only shot 11 times.

I was just playing my role. That's it, it's just playing basketball.

I went to Baylor University.

The impact of coach Drew on me Huge. He has had a profound impact on my life off the court, especially on the spiritual level, keeping in touch with God. It’s a little bit I’m very proud of. I know one day my basketball career will end. Hopefully that day is still far away. But whenever it comes, I want to make sure I’m guided by values ​​and beliefs.

The reason I chose Baylor is mainly because of the culture and standards there. Although we didn’t do as expected on the court, I feel like we’ve all grown off the court. Winning is just a temporary one, but your character will affect your life . I won't lie, it's really hard to lose to Duke. By the way, that game was played in North Carolina, just 30 minutes from the opponent's city, so their fans must be on the court. The atmosphere is very crazy. Who doesn't want to win the national championship? But there's only one team in the year that can do it. I just try to draw something from the whole experience. At least we lost to the number one team, and I'm not too angry about that. But I'm still upset with that loss, and it may always be like that.

but that's OK.

It made me know that it all means a lot to me.

It's so crazy all the way up, it's just incredible.

Philadelphia, I'm so proud to be one of you now.

Thanks to the Sixers for giving me this opportunity, I'm grateful for it.

Now, I have the chance to look around. I've tasted the Philadelphia cheese steak and ran up the Rocky Steps. I'm gradually getting used to it and finding my direction. But I'm really looking forward to winning the respect of you, my teammates and coaches. I just want to be like the sea Learn and absorb like cotton, hope to get better.

For the past few weeks, I have been thinking about it all, trying to sort out everything. Thinking about the efforts I put in and the sacrifices my family made. I just want to write something for those who support me, and for all the kids who are still dreaming. I hope I can do my part and continue to convey the vision of Coach Sugar inspiring the kids.

There was a time when I felt that nothing could be possible. I have heard all the doubts: "You can't do this, you can't do that." "I learned how to block these sounds and not bother me. For those children who face the same doubts, if you read this article - don't believe them. Let these doubts motivate you to work harder.

They always say: You can't, you can't, you can't.

But they are wrong.

Original text: VJ-Edgecom

Translated by JayChan