76ers’ Tyrese Maxey Made Lakers’ LeBron James Proud on Sunday
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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.”
“Proud of you.”
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 19, 2024
- LeBron shows respect to Tyrese Maxey. 🔥
(via @sixers)
pic.twitter.com/DqcMsnFXGs
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.