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Tyrese Maxey was born on November 4, 2000, and grew up in Garland, Texas, with his parents and three sisters. The Philadelphia 76ers star’s father, Tyrone Maxey, worked as a high school basketball coach while his mother, Denyse Maxey, sold insurance and worked in the healthcare industry.
Here’s what you need to know about Tyrese Maxey’s family:
1. Tyrese Maxey Grew Up in Garland, Texas, With His Parents, Grandmothers, & Three Sisters
Maxey grew up in Garland, Texas, in a suburban house with his parents, his three sisters and both his grandmothers. As a young boy, he had a lot of energy and was constantly running around, playing with basketballs on miniature baskets in his bedroom. “That’s just the kind of kid he was,” his mother Denyse Maxey told Philadelphia magazine. “He was always doing something, always jumping around.”
The Sixers star known as “Mad Maxey” didn’t have any brothers, and he spent his childhood practicing on his sisters, who weren’t that keen, Denyse Maxey shared. “He’d run through the house for years, practicing on me, or on one of his grandmothers, or practicing on his sisters, who don’t seem to like it very much,” she recalled to ESPN. “But it is fun — he does practice those moves on his family quite often.”
Maxey’s parents, Denyse and Tyrone, each had a daughter from previous relationships when they met. The Sixers star was their first child together and was followed by a daughter, and the Maxeys’ son and three daughters were all raised together, NBA.com shared.
His younger sister, Denasia Maxey, described him as “fun” and “annoying, very annoying,” she laughed to ESPN. “I love him. He’s probably the best brother in the world. But he has a very bright personality — he’s very happy. Whatever he’s going through is probably very hard to notice… I’m sure everybody wants to have him as a brother.”
The family told the publication that whenever Maxey is in Texas visiting, his mother will warn everyone, “Everybody, make sure you’ve got energy because he’s going to want to play games. He’s going to want us to all be here 24/7.” In fact, the family is all very close-knit and the NBA star confessed that he calls his mother “maybe six, seven times a day.” He also calls his sisters and his father all the time.
Maxey’s younger sister Denasia is also a talented athlete who plays volleyball at Dallas Christian High School and is set to graduate in 2024. The 5’9″ athlete is an Under Armor All-American volleyball player. “I worked really hard to get there,” she told CBS News in 2021.
2. Tyrese Maxey’s Father, Tyrone Maxey, Worked as a High School Basketball Coach & Trained His Son
Maxey’s father, Tyrone Maxey, played collegiate ball before pursuing a long career in coaching and was instrumental in training his son. He played collegiately at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas, from 1988 to 1990 and was an all-conference honoree both seasons, his SMU bio states. Tyrone Maxey then played two seasons, from 1990 to 1992, at Washington State, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in social science.
Tyrone Maxey became a high school basketball coach and coached for 17 years at several schools, in addition to training his son. When Maxey told his father his dream of becoming a basketball star, his dad replied, “Look, man, you want to be good? You want to be like Dwyane Wade?” he recounted to Philadelphia magazine. Maxey said he did and his dad told him, “Then you gotta train. Or do you want to just play one-on-one?”
Maxey then put all of his energy into training, watching videos of NBA stars and going through drills. “It never stopped,” Denyse Maxey recalled. Throughout the training, Tyrone Maxey revealed that he was worried about balancing being his son’s coach and his dad. “Fortunately, I got my wife to kind of be the mediator,” he told NBA.com.
“I tried love on him a little bit, tell him what he does good and does bad,” he continued. “I’m his dad, and so I feel like he knows that I have his best interests at heart. He knows that but it’s tough man, it is tough. I’ve been a coach and dad in the same household. I’m real serious about the game. I am. I’m passionate. We always worked it out.”
3. Tyrese Maxey’s Mother, Denyse Maxey, Is the Executive Director of Maxey’s Foundation & Works in the Healthcare Industry
Denyse Maxey doesn’t really get involved in the basketball aspect of Maxey’s career but does take care of a lot behind the scenes. “The first thing I think about is gratefulness,” she said on the first episode of his podcast, “Maxey on the Mic.” “Yes, he is an extremely good player on the court, but this is my son. I do my best to just stay in a mom zone. Yes, he’s Tyrese Maxey, but he is my son, and I am watching him do what he has loved to do since I can remember since he was three or four years old.”
The NBA star’s mom will still talk to him after every game via text, she told NBA.com. She’s protective of her only son, and when he was drafted by Philadelphia, she asked her brother Brandon McKay if he’d move to Philly with her son to keep an eye on him, she revealed on the podcast.
Denyse Maxey, who tends to stay off social media, described herself as an “incredible introvert,” a sharp contrast to her outgoing son, she told NBA.com. “I’m comfortable here when I’m at home, but if you’ve ever seen me out at a game, I’m really not speaking to anyone,” she shared. “I’m very cordial but I’m incredibly introverted.” She said she wasn’t sure where her son’s boundless energy and extroverted personality came from but said it’s “amazing.”
“I love it,” she added. “I have no idea where all of that [personality] comes from. We didn’t teach it here, but he’s been like that since Day One.”
Denyse Maxey, who is the Executive Director of the Tyrese Maxey Foundation, also works are the Senior Regional Manager for Blue Cross Blue Shield, her bio on the foundation’s website states. She began working in the healthcare industry in 1998 and has an insurance business.
4. Tyrese Maxey Is Very Close With His Family & Has Opened Up About Their Difficult Times
Maxey’s positive attitude has stuck with him even through hard times for his family. His father suffered a major stroke in the summer of 2019, just before Maxey was about to start at Kentucky. Tyrone Maxey has since fully recovered, but at the time, the basketball coach was rushed to the hospital with only his son present by his side.
Maxey had to tell doctors whether or not they should attempt a risky procedure to counter the stroke’s impact on his father, he told Philadelphia magazine, adding, “I had to make some decisions that most 18-year-olds probably didn’t have to make, but you know, it’s life.”
Another scary moment struck the Maxey family over the Christmas holidays in 2021. Maxey’s entire family traveled up to New Jersey, where Maxey lived in a rental house. As the family was sitting down for dinner on Christmas Eve, they began smelling smoke. They investigated and found that the garage was up in flames, ESPN reported.
The whole family got out of the house unscathed, but the entire house burned, with their belongings inside. “This was my first time being able to actually provide food, provide a home for everybody to come and provide a lot of different presents and different things,” Maxey shared. “I couldn’t have done anything about it, but I felt like it was my fault because it’s your house. Your family is relying on you to bring them to a safe place. It’s freezing outside, they’re outside in no shoes. It was a sad time.”
On December 31, 2021, Maxey posted on Instagram, “The last week has been rough but a lot of people have helped us through this and helped me keep a smile on my face! That smile is not a cover up it’s real because I’m extremely blessed to be here on earth and have great people around me! I’m posting this so y’all understand how blessed I am to be here along with my family!”
5. Tyrese Maxey’s Uncle Brandon McKay Moved to Philadelphia & the 2 Live Together
Maxey is also very close with his uncle on his mother’s side, Brandon McKay, who moved in with the Sixers star after he was drafted by the Sixers. McKay appeared on the debut episode of Maxey’s podcast and said Denyse Maxey had asked him if he could live with her son and make sure he stayed grounded in Philly.
“It was a no-brainer; I had never been to Philly before and didn’t know what to expect,” McKay shared. “I also had never been away from my kids like that and didn’t know how that was going to affect me or affect them, but when your sister comes calling and says she is going to need you, what are you going to say?”
He shared that living with Maxey is learning to handle his boundless energy as he goes to sleep at 1 a.m. and gets up at 6 a.m. to work out. That said, Maxey now considers his uncle like an older brother, he told Philadelphia magazine. He said they lead a “simple life,” adding, “I’m not anybody extravagant.”
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