76ers' rookie V.J. Edgecombe rocks the rim and the crowd with posterized dunk over Indiana

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — VJ Edgecombe rocked the basketball with his right hand and posterized a Pacer with a dunk that would have made Dr. J proud.

Edgecombe tumbled to the floor – yes, the 76ers rookie said, he felt that one – sat up and waved toward the bench.

The dunk counted for two points.

It shot to No. 1 on the highlight reel of the short NBA career for the No. 3 overall pick out of Baylor.

Just don’t expect to see a repeat next month during All-Star weekend.

Edgecombe said he won’t participate in the dunk contest, even as he’s making stupendous plays that have the Sixers in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race.

The Sixers were in awe of the throwdown that helped fuel a second-half comeback in their 113-104 win over the Pacers.

“You must have dunked on someone,” teammate Joel Embiid cracked as the media horde swelled around Edgecombe’s locker. “I haven’t seen this many people around you since you got drafted.”

Edgecombe scored just 11 points — Embiid with 30 points and nine rebounds and Tyrese Maxey with 29 points and eight steals did the heavy lifting.

But it was his slam in the third quarter that rocked the rim and more than 18,000 fans present to root on the Sixers.

The 6-foot-4 Edgecombe took a feed from Maxey above the 3-point line, drove through the lane and soared high above 6-10 Pacers center Tony Bradley for the dunk. He was fouled, but missed the free throw.

“That hurt,” Edgecombe said. “I landed too hard. It feels good to dunk on somebody. But it hurt because I landed bad.”

No surprise for those who follow him — Edgecombe finished in the draft combine’s top 10 with a 38.5-inch max vertical leap.

Edgecombe has been a welcome addition to the Sixers since he scored 34 points in his NBA debut on opening night against Boston and is since only one of three rookies in the league this season with at least 10 games of 20-plus points.

Edgecombe expected he would be sore in the morning, but ready to go when the Sixers complete a back-to-back Tuesday against Phoenix.

Edgecombe laughed as he joked the dunk wasn't even his best one of the season.

Only no paying customer saw it.

“I've dunked on Jo in practice before,” Edgecombe said as he smiled in Embiid's direction. “I don't know if you've got any clips, though.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Philadelphia 76ers' Tyrese Maxey reacts after a dunk by teammate VJ Edgecombe during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Philadelphia 76ers' VJ Edgecombe (7) goes up to shoot against Indiana Pacers' Quenton Jackson (29) and Jarace Walker, right bottom, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The U.S. military conducted a rapid response exercise involving Marines and military aircraft in Venezuela’s capital Saturday, over four months after the ouster of then-President Nicolás Maduro.

Two Marine Corps Osprey aircraft, which have characteristics of both a helicopter and a fixed-wing airplane, flew over the recently reopened U.S. Embassy in Caracas. They landed in the parking lot with the downdraft blowing tree branches. Forces then descended from the aircraft.

“Ensuring the military’s rapid response capability is a key component of mission readiness, both here in Venezuela and around the world,” the embassy said on Instagram.

Venezuela’s government had announced the drill earlier this week. Foreign Minister Yván Gil said the U.S. would conduct the exercise to prepare “in the event of medical emergencies or catastrophic emergencies.”

The drill comes almost two months after the U.S. formally reopened its embassy in Caracas. The reopening followed the restoration of full diplomatic relations with the South American country after Maduro 's ouster in early January.

Some Caracas residents Saturday gathered near the embassy to watch the aircraft, while a few dozen others gathered elsewhere in the city to protest the exercise. Protesters held a Venezuelan flag with the message “No to the Yankee drill” written over it.

U.S. military aircraft last flew over Caracas on Jan. 3, when elite forces rappelled down from helicopters and captured Maduro and his wife. Both were taken to New York to face drug trafficking charges. They have pleaded not guilty.

U.S. Embassy holds emergency and air evacuation drill in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Pedro Mattey)

U.S. Embassy holds emergency and air evacuation drill in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Pedro Mattey)

U.S. Embassy holds emergency and air evacuation drill in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Pedro Mattey)

A soldier looks down from a military aircraft as the U.S. Embassy holds an emergency and air evacuation drill in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Pedro Mattey)

U.S. Embassy holds emergency and air evacuation drill in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Pedro Mattey)