Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe (77) celebrates with guard Tyrese Maxey (0) and forward Dominick Barlow (25) after they defeated the Boston Celtics 117-116 at TD Garden.

VJ Edgecombe, the third overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, made his regular-season debut with the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night and he did not shy away from the spotlight.

He played a staring role in a 117-116 victory against the Boston Celtics, a longtime Eastern Conference rival.

Edgecombe broke records held by LeBron James and Allen Iverson during his debut.

He scored 14 points in the first quarter, breaking a 22-year-old record set by James in 2003 for most points scored in a player's career-opening quarter (James had 12).

The Baylor product kept the scoring up and eventually surpassed Iverson's franchise record for most points scored in an NBA debut. Iverson had 30 points in his first game back in 1996.

Edgecombe finished with 34 points, good for the third highest-scoring NBA debut ever behind Frank Selvy (35 points in 1954) and Wilt Chamberlain (43 points in 1959).

VJ Edgecombe stats vs. Celtics

  • Points: 34
  • FG: 13-for-26 (5-for-13 from 3)
  • Free Throws: 3-for-6
  • Rebounds: 7
  • Assists: 3
  • Steals: 1
  • Blocks: 0
  • Turnovers: 2
  • Fouls: 1
  • Minutes: 42

VJ Edgecombe highlights vs. Celtics

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: VJ Edgecombe points tonight: 76ers rookie breaks scoring records in debut

Reporting by James H. Williams, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect