Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey’s true feelings on LeBron James resurfaced after recruiting the 41-year-old star to join his team.
Maxey was reportedly leading the charge in recruiting LeBron to the 76ers by using his personal relationship to stay in contact with James.
With additional help from Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown, the 76ers landed James, which has to be a big moment for Maxey, considering how he views LeBron.
Tyrese Maxey said LeBron James was like a big brother to him
In an interview shared by the NBA, Maxey speaks highly about James by discussing their personal relationship while sharing a story from a past summer workout between the pair.
“He’s like a big brother to me, you know? Same agent, I work out with a few times every summer.”
“We worked out at 6, and I would beat him to the gym a few times, and he was like, ‘I can’t let that happen,’ and started getting to the gym at 5 and lifting. He was in a full sweat at like 5:30.”
Both Maxey and LeBron are represented by Klutch Sports, with CEO Rich Paul handling their matters personally.
Paul presumably put James and Maxey in touch for those summer workouts, but no one could have envisioned that leading to the 76ers eventually landing James in the summer of 2026.
The last time the 76ers tried attracting LeBron as a free agent was in 2018, two whole seasons before Maxey was even drafted.
It’s funny that one of the key reasons for James signing a minimum contract with the 76ers is because of a guard they acquired years later.
Maxey averaged 28.3 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.1 rebounds last season, leading the NBA in minutes, while James averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, and 6.1 rebounds in an evolving role with the Lakers all season, which included him playing as the third option on offense.
Now, Maxey, James, Jaylen Brown, and Joel Embiid have championship expectations on their shoulders.
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