After being selected with the third overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, VJ Edgecombe was left with the difficult task of selecting his jersey number. On Thursday, Edgecombe and the Sixers announced that the rookie would wear the No. 77, becoming the first player in Sixers history to do so.
Edgecombe previously wore No. 7 at Baylor University and No. 1 at Long Island Lutheran High School. Both Numbers were spoken for on the Sixers’ roster last season: No. 1 by center Andre Drummond, and No. 7 by veteran guard Kyle Lowry.
Drummond has a player option on his contract that he reportedly is set to accept, while Lowry’s future remains less certain. Edgecombe’s decision to wear No. 77 may be some indication of Lowry’s future or at least the possibility that he could return to Philadelphia.
The 39-year-old point guard expressed a desire to return during his end-of-season press conference, and the Sixers clearly value Lowry’s veteran presence. The decision to give a roster spot to a player a little bit more than long in the tooth is fair to question. The decision to protect that players number from the third overall pick in the draft is even more questionable.
The potential for Edgecombe to eventually change his number once Lowry and the Sixers are no longer mutually interested in the six-time All-Star suiting up for the team, but until then the rookie will rock a truly unique jersey.
Still, as was the case with Jalen Hurts, maybe it’s best to wait on the jersey purchase, unless you want a potential collector’s item.
