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)

HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — A Texas man was put to death Wednesday evening for fatally stabbing his girlfriend and her 8-year-old son in 2013, apologizing profusely to her older son who survived with multiple stab wounds and witnessed the execution.

Cedric Ricks, 51, was pronounced dead at 6:55 p.m. CDT following a lethal dose of the sedative pentobarbital at the state penitentiary in Huntsville.

He was condemned for the May 2013 killings of 30-year-old Roxann Sanchez and her son Anthony Figueroa at their apartment in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Bedford. Sanchez’s 12-year-old son, Marcus Figueroa, was stabbed 25 times and feigned death in order to survive.

Ricks apologized repeatedly to seven relatives of his victims who looked on, particularly Marcus Figueroa. The attack survivor showed no emotion, watching through a glass window just steps from where Ricks was strapped to a gurney. On the back of Marcus Figueroa’s neck, visible above his shirt collar and below his hair, were several scars apparently from the attack.

“I want to say that I’m sorry for taking Roxann and Anthony from y’all,” Ricks said when asked by the warden if he had a final statement. “I’m glad to be able to speak to tell y'all that face to face.”

He said he hoped one day that his victims’ relatives would be able to find it in their hearts to forgive him. He also addressed Marcus Figueroa, saying he hated that he took his mother and brother away.

“I always thought about you and I’m sorry that I took your mom and your brother away. I hate that you had to experience that, I just can’t imagine, but I’m truly sorry for what I’ve done, and I wish y’all peace and joy as much as you can but I’m sorry, that’s all I can say," Ricks said. His voice cracking and tear forming in his eye, he added that he hoped to find the woman and her son in heaven and “tell them I'm sorry face to face.”

“I hope y’all go in peace. I really do. I’m sorry," he concluded before the injection began.

As the drug took effect, he took 19 quick breaths, then made 10 snoring sounds, followed seconds later by some intermittent gurgles. Then all movement and sounds stopped, and he was pronounced dead 30 minutes after the injection had begun.

Among the other witnesses were Roxann Sanchez’s stepfather and brother, and Anthony Figueroa’s father, brother and grandmother. None of them showed any emotion in the death chamber witness area and declined to speak with reporters afterward.

The night of the killings, prosecutors said, Ricks and Sanchez had been arguing in their apartment when the woman's two sons from a previous marriage tried to break up the fight. Ricks grabbed a knife from the kitchen and began to stab Sanchez multiple times, court records showed.

Marcus Figueroa ran to his bedroom closet and tried to call police. After killing Anthony Figueroa, Ricks began stabbing Marcus Figueroa, who played dead until his attacker left the apartment, authorities said. Ricks did not harm his own then-9-month-old son Isaiah, according to court records. Ricks fled and was later arrested in Oklahoma.

At his ensuing capital murder trial, Ricks testified that he had anger issues and had been defending himself against the two boys after they had come to their mother’s defense.

“Explaining my rage, I was upset. Things happen. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. I wish I could bring them back, like, right now,” said Ricks, who also apologized at the time for the killings.

A day before the stabbings, Ricks had appeared in court after having been charged with assaulting Sanchez during a previous incident.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Ricks' final appeal without comment. His attorneys had argued that prosecutors violated Ricks’ constitutional rights by eliminating potential jurors on the basis of race while selecting the trial panel.

The Texas Attorney General’s Office said court records show the prosecution’s jury selection decisions were “race neutral” and lower courts have already concluded that prosecutors’ actions were not discriminatory.

And earlier this week, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied Ricks’ request to commute his death sentence or grant a 90-day reprieve.

Ricks was the second person put to death this year in Texas and the sixth in the country. Texas has historically held more executions than any other state.

Charles “Sonny” Burton, a 75-year-old inmate in Alabama, had been scheduled for execution Thursday. But Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday commuted his death sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Burton had been condemned for a fatal shooting during a 1991 robbery at an auto parts store even though he didn’t pull the trigger.

Lozano reported from Houston. Follow Juan A. Lozano: https://x.com/juanlozano70

This undated photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Texas death row inmate Cedric Ricks. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice via AP)

This undated photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Texas death row inmate Cedric Ricks. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice via AP)