Philly special: V.J. Edgecombe leads Team Vince to victory at NBA All-Star weekend's Rising Stars

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — V.J. Edgecombe seems quietly confident he'll be at an NBA All-Star weekend quite soon to play in the main event.

Until that day arrives, the Philadelphia rookie celebrated his first trip to this midseason showcase with two game-ending scores and an MVP trophy in the Rising Stars event.

Edgecombe led Team Vince to victory in the kickoff event for the NBA All-Star weekend Friday night, scoring 17 points in the semifinal before hitting two free throws to ice the final.

“We all wanted to compete, and I wanted to win,” Edgecombe said. “I really hate losing, and we had a chance to win it all, so why not go out there and win?”

The NBA’s rookies, sophomores and G League prospects opened the All-Star weekend at the Los Angeles Clippers’ Intuit Dome with this four-team tournament of three games played to a set point total.

While Edgecombe was the most impactful player, he didn't have the most memorable bucket: San Antonio guard Dylan Harper ended the first semifinal by scoring the game-winner over Ron Harper Jr., his older brother.

Dylan Harper then scored eight more points in the final for Team Melo while teaming up with his Spurs teammate, Stephon Castle, last season’s Rookie of the Year and Rising Stars MVP.

Castle made a putback dunk off Jeremiah Fears’ miss to pull Team Melo within one point of victory, but Edgecombe drew a foul from Donovan Clingan and coolly hit both free throws to end it at 25-24.

Edgecombe was motivated by the presence of his 76ers backcourt mate, All-Star Tyrese Maxey, who watched from courtside.

“He (said) he ain't coming to watch if I ain't going to play hard,” Edgecombe said. “I was like, 'Man, I'm going to play hard so at least it's not a waste of his time.'”

Indeed, the lackadaisical efforts that have plagued the All-Star Game in recent years wasn't nearly as prevalent in this Rising Stars showcase, and Edgecombe said that's largely because of the motivational efforts of the four NBA veterans who led the teams: Vince Carter, Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady and Austin Rivers.

When the vets were picking their teams two weeks ago, Edgecombe told Carter to choose him if he wanted to win.

“(Carter) was telling us, ‘Just go! Just go! Keep playing hard!’” Edgecombe said. “And we feed off of that. We just started rolling.”

Edgecombe scored nearly half of his team's 41 points — including the last 10 in a row — while winning the second semifinal. Edgecombe didn't have to carry his team in the final, but the No. 3 overall pick in last year's draft still scored its final four points.

Dylan Harper called game in the first semifinal with a succession of moves that could have been learned on the driveway at home, bullying Ron Jr. into the paint before hitting a step-back jumper.

Dylan stuck out his tongue in gleeful celebration of only his second basket in the semifinal, and their famous father laughed heartily at courtside.

Ron Jr., a Celtics prospect with 21 games of NBA experience, is six years older than Dylan, the No. 2 pick in last summer's draft — but the kid brother knew he could do it.

“You think I’ve never beat him one-on-one (before)?” Dylan asked with mock exasperation.

The Rising Stars game wasn't a full showcase of the NBA's top young talent because No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg dropped out of the game due to injury, as did Washington’s Alex Sarr and Memphis’ Cedric Coward.

Edgecombe hit three 3-pointers during his scoring barrage in the first semifinal to win his duel with Charlotte's Kon Knueppel, who scored just four points. The two rookies are the only serious contenders with Flagg for the Rookie of the Year award.

The event got off to a rousing start when Clippers prospect Yanic Konan Niederhäuser dunked a lob from Ron Harper Jr. for the first basket of the night. The Swiss big man drafted last summer by the All-Star weekend hosts got raucous cheers from the fans in The Wall, an extra-steep supporters’ section installed at Intuit Dome by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.

Niederhäuser led his losing team with 11 points in the first semifinal.

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

Team Vince guard VJ Edgecombe (77) of the Philadelphia 76ers, left, grabs a rebound as Team Melo guard Dylan Harper (2) of the San Antonio Spurs, center, and guard Stephon Castle (5) of the San Antonio Spurs reach for it during a final in NBA basketball's Rising Stars event Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Team Vince guard VJ Edgecombe (77) of the Philadelphia 76ers celebrates during a final in NBA basketball's Rising Stars event against Team Melo, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Team Vince guard VJ Edgecombe (77) of the Philadelphia 76ers, right, passes as Team Melo guard Jeremiah Fears (0) of the New Orleans Pelicans defends during a final in NBA basketball's Rising Stars event Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Team Austin frontcourt Yanic Konan Niederhauser (14) of the LA Clippers shoots as Team Melo frontcourt Donovan Clingan (23) of the Portland Trail Blazers defends during an NBA basketball's Rising Stars event Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Team Melo guard Dylan Harper (2) of the San Antonio Spurs, right, shoots as Team Austin guard Ron Harper Jr. (13) of the Boston Celtics defends during an NBA basketball's Rising Stars event Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Team Austin guard Alijah Martin (55) of the Toronto Raptors, right, shoots as Team Melo frontcourt Donovan Clingan (23) of the Portland Trail Blazers defends during an NBA basketball's Rising Stars event Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Kennedy Center's new leadership wants to prove to critics the building is damaged beyond simple repair. It's starting with Congress.

Matt Floca, the performing arts institution's new president, is leading a series of tours this month that show water damage and intrusion to expansion joints, marble slabs and exterior pavers. Participants are guided through the building's water and HVAC systems along with parking garages and loading docks that are said to be in need of repair.

The sessions began earlier this month while Congress was in recess and included staff for a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the top Democrats on Capitol Hill. A representative for Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser was also included on the tour.

Similar access has been provided for several corporate and individual donors and in the coming weeks, Floca is expected to provide tours for the lawmakers themselves and members of the media.

Once one of Washington's relatively few apolitical spaces, the Kennedy Center has become a source of controversy during President Donald Trump's second term. Shortly after returning to office, Trump ousted the institution's previous leadership and replaced it with a handpicked board of directors.

The president's name was added to the building's facade and its programming took a Trump-friendly turn, serving as a venue for events such as the premiere of first lady Melania Trump's documentary, “Melania.”

Trump's move to shutter the building for two years starting in July, which was approved by the board last month, has spurred lawsuits and an outcry that the closure is merely a response to plunging sales as artists canceled Kennedy Center performances in droves.

The tours are intended to cut through that and show that the Kennedy Center, which began construction in 1965, is in genuine need of a fundamental update.

“As the July closure approaches, the Trump Kennedy Center is leading with transparency and making sure Congress and the public understand what’s at stake and why the work can’t wait,” Floca said in a statement.

In addition to staff for Schumer, Jeffries and Bowser, the recent tour included representatives for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., Mark Warner, D-Va., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I. along with Reps. Sam Graves, R-Mo., and Rick Larsen, D-Wash.

By virtue of their positions, these lawmakers are ex officio members of the Kennedy Center's board. Kennedy Center spokesperson Roma Daravi said working with both parties was a “top priority” as the institution implements Trump's vision for the renovation.

None of the participants discussed the tour on the record.

Those who are arguing against the Kennedy Center's closure haven't disputed the need for routine maintenance and repairs. They say the more substantial changes Trump has hinted are in the works should go through the typical review process that governs many major projects in the nation’s capital.

Trump has suggested changes at the Kennedy Center could be so dramatic that the steel supporting the structure could be “ fully exposed.”

According to a lawsuit filed last month against Trump, the Kennedy Center and others in the administration, “Demolition, new construction, major reconstruction, major renovation, or major aesthetic transformation of the Kennedy Center would permanently destroy historic fabric, degrade the monumental core’s vistas and public grounds, and compromise the Kennedy Center’s memorial purpose and architectural integrity, causing permanent, irreversible harm that no subsequent remedy can fully undo."

The Kennedy Center is entering a critical period before its anticipated July closure, which will produce staff reductions.

In the meantime, the Kennedy Center is still hosting shows, including the musical “Chicago,” which Trump attended this month. Performances of “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” are on the calendar from June 18 through July 5. Comedian Bill Maher will be presented the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on June 28, just before the closure begins.

The Kennedy Center is part of Trump's broader effort to leave a lasting imprint on the Washington cityscape. He demolished the East Wing of the White House last year and wants to replace it with a ballroom, an effort that is also tangled in litigation.

The president also unveiled plans on Friday for an arch that would stand between the Lincoln Memorial in the east and Arlington National Cemetery toward the west and within a traffic circle connecting Washington with northern Virginia.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive to attend the opening nights of the musical "Chicago" at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)