Tyrese Maxey Fell in Love With the Process Before Sixers Selected him

Before he even became a member of the Sixers, Kentucky guard Tyrese Maxey fell in love with the process.

Hours before the main event on Wednesday night, Kentucky guard Tyrese Maxey was getting up his hundreds of shot in the gym. On Instagram, he posted a picture of the shirt he just worked out in, which had a phrase that read "fall in love with the process."

Ironically enough, Maxey became the Sixers' first-round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft just hours later. By now, we all know what the word 'process' means to the Sixers.

While Maxey wasn't flashing the shirt with the intentions of heading to Philly, he figured the caption was on brand the following day. Therefore, during his introductory press conference, Maxey sported another version of his process tee.

"It's so funny," Maxey explained while grinning ear to ear. "It's so funny because my uncle -- when I was in High School -- he gave me this shirt. Not this exact shirt, but he gave me a shirt that said 'fall in love with the process.' It kind of just stuck with me because of the way that I work."

For the last few months, Maxey has put together a process of working out multiple times a day, getting up hundreds of shots. The Sixers rookie explained that he partakes in a 6 am basketball workout, lifts weights at 8, then hits the court once again at 10.

"I wore [the shirt] yesterday when I worked out," Maxey recalled. "I posted [a picture of it], and then I got drafted to Philadelphia, and I just seen it everywhere. [So, I'm like] 'wow, okay.' I had another [shirt], and it was blue too, so I might as well wear this."

Funny how that all worked out for the 20-year-old guard. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_


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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