BOSTON (AP) — VJ Edgecombe’s eyes widened and his head lolled back against his locker when he was told that he’d just scored more points than any player in his NBA debut since Wilt Chamberlain first laced up his canvas high-tops.
“I worked every day, and all my life, for moments like this. This is my dream,” the Philadelphia 76ers rookie said after scoring 34 points in his first pro game, a 117-116 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.
“I prayed for this. I always prayed to make it to the NBA and to stay in the NBA,” Edgecombe said. “Man, yeah, that was crazy. That surpassed my expectation, to be honest.”
A native of the Bahamas who was the Big 12 Rookie of the Year in his only season at Baylor, Edgecombe scored the third-most points for an NBA player in his first game. Chamberlain scored 43 points in his debut in 1959 for the Philadelphia Warriors and also had 28 rebounds that night against New York. Frank Selvy scored 35 points for the Milwaukee Hawks against Boston in 1954.
Allen Iverson held the Sixers' record with 30 points in his debut in 1996.
“That’s an amazing first-game performance. It really is,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said. “That’s a neat list to get on.”
Edgecombe’s 14 first-quarter points were also the most ever for a player’s first NBA quarter. That record had been set by LeBron James in 2003.
“It feels good to have my name mentioned with LeBron,” Edgecombe said. “I must say, it’s amazing. But hopefully (I'm) going to have a long career ahead of me. That’s what mattered most, man: longevity. Knowing LeBron has been there for 20-plus years. So I’m hoping I can do that one day."
Edgecombe went 13 of 26 from the field and 5 for 13 from 3-point range, adding seven rebounds, three assists and a steal. He scored 10 straight Sixers points in the first quarter and scored nine in the fourth, when Philadelphia erased a 13-point deficit to win its season opener.
Sixers forward Dominick Barlow said what he remembers from his debut, when he scored two points for San Antonio in a 43-point loss after missing the first eight games of the season, was “I played 10 minutes. I was tired as hell, went 1 for 3. Didn’t do nothing.”
“He was just so composed and so calm. You don’t see it,” said Barlow, who was a teammate of 2023 No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama with the Spurs. “That was special, to see how (Edgecombe) carries himself.”
Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey also praised the rookie.
“He played really well. He was really comfortable. He was really confident. Extremely confident,” said Maxey, whose memories of his first game was stepping out of bounds with the ball on his first play.
And the All-Star guard made sure to rib Edgecombe for missing two free throws with 8.5 seconds left and the Sixers holding a one-point lead, shouting across the locker room at him: “Hey, (No.) 77. You definitely a little nervous at the free-throw line."
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) and guard VJ Edgecombe (77) pressure Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11), who was making a failed attempt at the game-winning basket, during the final seconds of the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe (77) drives to the basket against Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe (77) drives to the basket against Boston Celtics guard Anfernee Simons (4) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Voting began Thursday in Uganda’s presidential election despite a days-long internet shutdown that has been criticized as an anti-democratic tactic in a country where the president has held office since 1986.
Crowds gathered and long lines formed in some areas as polling station openings were delayed and voting materials were seen being delivered after the scheduled 7 a.m. opening time.
President Yoweri Museveni, 81, faces seven other candidates, including Robert Kyagulanyi, a musician-turned-politician best known as Bobi Wine, who is calling for political change.
The East African country of roughly 45 million people has 21.6 million registered voters. Polls are expected to close at 4 p.m. Thursday, according to the electoral commission. Results are constitutionally required to be announced in 48 hours.
Impatient crowds gathered outside polling stations expressing concerns over the delays Thursday morning. Umaru Mutyaba, a polling agent for a parliamentary candidate, said it was “frustrating” to be waiting outside a station in the capital Kampala.
“We can’t be standing here waiting to vote as if we have nothing else to do," he said.
Ssemujju Nganda, a prominent opposition figure and lawmaker seeking reelection in Kira municipality, told The Associated Press he had been waiting in line to vote for three hours.
In addition to delayed voting materials, biometric voter identification machines were not working properly, Nganda said, adding that delays likely will lead to apathy and low turnout in urban areas where the opposition has substantial support.
“It’s going to be chaos,” he said.
Uganda has not witnessed a peaceful transfer of presidential power since independence from British colonial rule six decades ago.
Museveni has served the third-longest term of any African leader and is seeking to extend his rule into a fifth decade. Some critics say removing him through elections remains difficult, but the aging president’s authority has become increasingly dependent on the military led by his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Museveni and Wine are reprising their rivalry from the previous election in 2021, when Wine appealed to mostly young people in urban areas. With voter turnout of 59%, Wine secured 35% of the ballots against Museveni’s 58%, the president’s smallest vote share since his first electoral campaign three decades ago.
The lead-up to Thursday's election produced concerns about transparency, the possibility of hereditary rule, military interference and opposition strategies to prevent vote tampering at polling stations.
Uganda's internet was shut down Tuesday by the government communications agency, which cited misinformation, electoral fraud and incitement of violence. The shutdown has affected the public and disrupted critical sectors such as banking.
There has been heavy security leading up to voting, including military units deployed on the streets this week.
Amnesty International said security forces are engaging in a “brutal campaign of repression,” citing a Nov. 28 opposition rally in eastern Uganda where the military blocked exits and opened fire on supporters, killing one person.
Museveni urged voters to come out in large numbers during his final rally Tuesday.
“You go and vote, anybody who tries to interfere with your freedom will be crushed. I am telling you this. We are ready to put an end to this indiscipline,” he said.
The national electoral commission chairperson, Simon Byabakama, urged tolerance among Ugandans as they vote.
“Let us keep the peace that we have,” Byabakama said late Wednesday. “Let us be civil. Let us be courteous. Let’s be tolerant. Even if you know that this person does not support (your) candidate, please give him or her room or opportunity to go and exercise his or her constitutional right."
Authorities also suspended the activities of several civic groups during the campaign season. That Group, a prominent media watchdog, closed its office Wednesday after the interior ministry alleged in a letter that the group was involved in activities “prejudicial to the security and laws of Uganda.”
Veteran opposition figure Kizza Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate, remains in prison after he was charged with treason in February 2025.
Uganda opposition presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, known as Bobi Wine, right, greets election observers, including former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, at his home in Magere village on the outskirts of Kampala, Uganda, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)
Billboards of Uganda President and National Resistance Movement (NRM) presidential candidate Yoweri Museveni are seen in Kampala, Uganda, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Samson Otieno)
Electoral workers deliver ballot boxes to a polling station during presidential election in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Voters are reflected in a police officer's sunglasses as they wait in line after voting failed to start on time due to system failures during presidential election in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Voters wait to cast their ballots during the presidential election in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
