76ers’ Tyrese Maxey Made Lakers’ LeBron James Proud on Sunday

LeBron James was proud to see Tyrese Maxey on Sunday.
76ers’ Tyrese Maxey Made Lakers’ LeBron James Proud on Sunday
76ers’ Tyrese Maxey Made Lakers’ LeBron James Proud on Sunday /

After throwing on his All-Star threads for the first time, Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey ran into Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.

Considering the 20-time All-Star has followed Maxey’s career since he was a freshman guard at Kentucky, James was happy to see the Sixers’ young standout getting ready to play on the same stage as him during All-Star weekend.

“So proud of you,” James said. “So happy for you, and I’m proud of you.”

Since 2020, James and Maxey shared the same agency. When the former Kentucky product declared for the NBA Draft, he was believed to be a lottery pick. Maxey’s night didn’t go as planned, though.

Sliding down to the 21st overall pick, Maxey finally went off the board when he received a call from Daryl Morey and the 76ers. It wasn’t the landing spot he expected, but he embraced it from the beginning.

Maxey proved the Sixers made the right call that year. Although he didn’t play a significant role during his rookie season, Maxey became a full-time starter during his sophomore effort. As he improved each year since landing in Philadelphia, he was issued All-Star status in year four.

He took the court to face LeBron and the Western Conference on Sunday, checking in off the bench for 17 minutes. Although Maxey took the fewest shots out of all of the Eastern Conference reserves, he scored ten points as all but one of his successful makes were from beyond the arc.

It was a quiet night for Maxey statically, but it was clear he belonged. As long as he continues to grow at the rate he’s been developing, Maxey could earn many more All-Star appearances in the future, becoming a regular like LeBron and many others on the stage on Sunday night. 


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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA