Paul George Refuses To Haze Rookie VJ Edgecombe On His Podcast, Says “Not Yet”

When you’re a rookie in the NBA, there are certain traditions you have to uphold. One is the commitment to carry out the duties asked by other members of your team, which shows your elders that you are one of the boys.

VJ Edgecombe will have to learn that. The No. 3 pick will begin his first season as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers this year and joined his newest teammate, Paul George, on the latest edition of his Podcast P program.

PG began introducing the 19-year-old star when a funny exchange occurred that leaned into the traditions of hazing a rookie. “My young fella, my rook, VJ Edgecombe,” screamed George as the panel gave Edgecombe a round of applause. However, PG’s co-host, Jackie Long, started pressing some buttons.

“You need something to drink P? Make him go do something. This your rookie,” he shouted. This gave the group a good chuckle, including Edgeombe, who immediately started begging “Not yet not yet not yet. We good.”

Fortunately for VJ, George didn’t seem interested in beginning the rookie’s duties at the moment. “Not yet. Good start. We gonna take a little break,” said PG with a smile.

While this was all done in good fun, it does seem that PG and VJ already have a rapport. The duo will hopefully find some magic together on the court, especially considering how the Sixers are coming off an embarrassing year in the East.

VJ is lucky when it comes to PG, though, because he’s not a very demanding player. “I’m simple. Carry my PlayStation, man, we good,” said George one year ago to rookie Jared McCain. “We get into town, man, just drop my PlayStation off at the door. Go on about your business.”

Even if Edgecomb is an Xbox guy, this seems like a pretty easy assignment as long as he doesn’t break the console.

PG once responded to how Shaq used to haze players

To reiterate, Paul George is by no means a dictator when it comes to hazing rookies for their new duties. And when you look at icons like Shaq, and what they used to do, PG is a saint.

The Diesel once took a HUGE poop in his teammate, Devean George’s sneakers after George forgot to deliver on a favor the four-time champion asked of him. PG reacted to that info on an older episode of his Podcast P show.

“I ain’t seen nothing like that, bro. That’s over the top,” stated the nine-time All-Star at the time. However, he did immediately defend Shaq since he knew how to make up for being the ultimate prankster.

“I have heard Shaq’s the type to do something like that and then give you $25,000 or go buy you a brand new car,” added George.

It’s a slippery slope. One that not every player will react positively to. Sure, having an all-time great like Shaq poop in your shoe as a prank is pretty funny, but it’s also pretty gross. Getting $25,000 or a new car sounds nice. Yet, having a clean sneaker is just as nice so it really just depends on your preference.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

Read More