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James Harden's Heartfelt Message to Tyrese Maxey for New Contract With 76ers

LA Clippers guard James Harden gave a message to his former Philadelphia 76ers teammate Tyrese Maxey for his contract extension

Joey Linn

Mar 29, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) talks with guard James Harden (1) during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Wells Fargo Center.
Mar 29, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) talks with guard James Harden (1) during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Wells Fargo Center. / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
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Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey recently signed a five-year, $204M contract extension. The 23-year-old guard made his first NBA All-Star appearance last season, averaging a career-high 25.9 points.

Maxey won the NBA's Most Improved Player Award last season, averaging 5.6 more points per game than he did a season ago. The departure of James Harden allowed Maxey to step into a bigger role for Philadelphia, as the star guard was traded to the LA Clippers before appearing in a single game for the 76ers last season.

During a recent appearance at the Rico Hines run in Los Angeles, Harden shared a heartfelt message to Maxey for his new contract.

"I had the pleasure and opportunity to be with Tyrese two years ago," Harden said. "He works his a-- off. What did you just sign for [Tyrese]? Bank... Cherish it. Put the work in. The results will pay off later."

Maxey looked up to Harden during their time as teammates, and certainly learned a lot from the future Hall of Fame point guard.

Now in opposite conferences, Maxey and Harden still have a close relationship. Working out with Hines at UCLA, the two guards continue to improve their game during the summer ahead of what should be an exciting 2024-25 season.

The 76ers added Harden's former teammate Paul George this summer as they look to make a run in the Eastern Conference.

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Joey Linn

JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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