Tyrese Maxey Gets Honest About Speaking Up at 76ers' Team Meeting

After being a leading voice in the Sixers' team meeting, Tyrese Maxey explained his motives.

Sep 30, 2024; Camden, NJ, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) poses for a photo on media day at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Tyrese Maxey’s name was buzzing around the NBA on Tuesday for unexpected reasons. Not even 24 hours after the Philadelphia 76ers had a lengthy team meeting in Miami, it was revealed that Maxey spoke up to critique Joel Embiid’s off-court work habits.

Once it became public, Maxey was earning praise for his growth as a leader within the SIxers’ locker room.

On Tuesday, Maxey didn’t shy away from acknowledging what went down. According to The Athletic’s Tony Jones, the one-time All-Star explained the reasoning behind his choice of words for Embiid.

.@ShamsCharania provides insight into Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid’s relationship after Maxey called out Embiid for his tardiness and its impact on the team ✍️ pic.twitter.com/jxZ7PwnNIA

— First Take (@FirstTake) November 20, 2024

“I wanted to speak up,” Maxey told The Athletic. “I felt the need to do that because I wanted to share that we are better than what we have shown on the floor. There was a lot said, but it is what it is. We said what we had to say and we have to figure out a way to move on to the rest of the season. Everyone understands what’s at stake. Everyone is feeling the hurt.”

The Sixers are 2-11 heading into their Wednesday night matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night. The All-Star trio of Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Paul George have yet to play a game together.

While two combinations of the trio have shared the court this season, not a single win has come from it.

Clearly, the Sixers felt they couldn’t keep doing the same thing and expecting different results after a frustrating loss against the Miami Heat.

The veteran guard, Kyle Lowry, understood that and called for the meeting. Maxey saw the moment as an opportunity to speak up and push a key issue to the center of the table for everybody to see and understand that they could start cleaning up bad habits by resolving a critical issue.

Let me rephrase this…. Yall don’t give up on us yet!!! I believe in this team!!! https://t.co/b212CMDGtT

— Tyrese Maxey (@TyreseMaxey) November 17, 2024

Will the meeting make a difference? Wednesday’s game in Memphis should be a good indicator. With the message still fresh, a lackluster performance would prove the Sixers’ issues might go deeper than anyone anticipated.

An energized performance against an undermanned Memphis team could be the kickstart the Sixers need in late November to get themselves together and begin making a run after winning just 15 percent of their matchups through the first stretch of the year.