There are plenty of emotions during the holiday season for everyone involved. This is especially the case for Philadelphia 76ers’ star Tyrese Maxey this year. The 22-year-old shared a heartwarming story through ESPN storyteller Justin Bey about the tragic housefire that impacted last year’s holiday. Maxey expressed his pride in providing for his family for the first time as he had recently purchased his first house and moved to the Philadelphia area.
The Texas native had his whole family visit with a meal being made and presents prepared for everyone. But just shortly into the dinner, smoke began to leak into the house and it was discovered the house had begun erupting into flames. The family evacuated and Maxey saw significant damage to his house. However, as has been proven to be the case with his outlook on life, he refused to let it get him down and shared how impactful the situation was.
Merry Christmas y’all.
Excited to share a piece I helped produce on Tyrese Maxey and why Christmas means more to his family this year.
Maxey’s Outlook
Having a positive outlook is nothing new for Maxey. The Kentucky product has constantly warmed the hearts of Sixers fans with his million-dollar smile and infectious energy. The 22-year-old remains active in the community and most recently was awarded the NBA Community Cares Assist Award for his effort. However, it is clear the fire impacted him in a major way.
Tonight pregame, Doc Rivers presented @TyreseMaxey with his first Community Assist Award.
Wait for the @sixers’ reactions 🥹
As Maxey put it when talking to ESPN, “This is my first time actually being able to provide food, provide a home for everybody, and then provide a lot of presents and different things, ones that your family wants or even needs sometimes. For it to go the opposite direction in a split second, it hurt me the next day.”
Thankfully, no one was hurt by the fire. Even more miraculously, the presents managed to survive and were brought to the Maxey family at the hotel they went to stay at. Maxey also said this would not stop him from trying to put forth a similar holiday effort for his family this year. As he put it, “You know, it almost feels like a second chance. We’re gonna do the same thing we always do. Laugh, love each other, and probably some tears shed. We’re all blessed to be here.” While the Sixers’ matchup with the Knicks undoubtedly threw a wrench in these plans, the Maxey family will surely still find a way to enjoy it.
Maxey’s Return to the Court Looming?
The Sixers will be looking forward to Maxey rejoining their family on the court. The young guard has been out with a foot fracture since November 18th and there still is no timetable set for his return date. It was previously reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that Maxey and the Sixers were aiming for a return before Christmas, but this did not occur. A week earlier Doc Rivers told reporters that Maxey is, “nowhere near where we thought.. whatever he has to do he’s nowhere near it. I would say he’s out at least a couple more weeks. I’m making that up but I can’t imagine him playing anytime in the next couple weeks.”
While Rivers clarified before their most recent victory over the Clippers that he is getting closer, Maxey is now beyond the four-week timetable that was initially given. Whenever he can make his return, the Sixers will be thankful for the burst he provides. Before the injury, it looked as if Maxey took another stride forward in his development in his third season. Throughout the first 15 games, he averaged 22.9 points, 4.4 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game which all mark career highs for him. Most notably, he also was connecting on 42.2% of his three-point attempts while increasing his volume to 6.8 long-range shots per game.
Tyrese Maxey—one of the best transition guards I’ve ever seen.
SHOT OUT OF A CANNON. Just watch how far behind he is in most of these clips, yet he ends up ahead of the defenders. Acrobatic, silky, and extremely-efficient finisher (68.7 EFG% in transition) True kinetic savant🐐
Both Maxey and the Sixers will be eager for him to suit up as soon as this is possible. The team has played much better basketball of late, winning seven straight before traveling to New York for the Christmas day matchup, but they will not reach its peak without Maxey in the fold. The change of pace and offensive pop is essential to raising the team’s ceiling. For the time being, hopefully, he is continuing to rest his foot and spending time with his family but expect to see him in uniform again soon.
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Tyrese Maxey Shares Heartwarming Christmas Story Following Last Year’s Tragedy