The Philadelphia 76ers made the right move in signing Tyrese Maxey to a long-term contract extension last summer. The 24-year-old guard has been on a strong run the past two seasons, and most recently, worked out with LeBron James.
Both Maxey and James were featured in an Instagram post by basketball trainer Chris Johnson, putting in work over the offseason.
In an interview with The Deep 3 podcast, Maxey reflected on his time with James over the summer and how it wasn’t their first time on the court together.
“It’s good, I mean, working out with LeBron, this is going to sound weird, but it’s like normal now,” Maxey said. “I remember I worked out with him for the first time when I was like 19 years old, preparing for the draft.”
Maxey was named an All-Star for the first time last season, and just missed out on the honor this year due to missing games with injury. In the past two seasons with the Sixers, he has averaged 26 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.5 rebounds on 44.4% shooting.
Maxey On Workout With LeBron
While the Sixers’ star said it wasn’t his first time working out with James over the offseason, he did say that it was the first time he saw him in a mentor position. James might be 16 years older than Maxey, but the point guard says he sees ‘The King’ as an older brother.
“Now seeing him, just like a big brother, every single summer getting some work,” Maxey said on James. “Trying to beat him to the gym when we work out early, it’s always fun.”
Relating to James’ age, Maxey recalled a funny story that happened during their workout. The Sixers star said that at the end of their drills, the trainer wanted them to finish with three dunks. While Maxey did his part, he wasn’t expecting the 40-year-old James to do the same.
“I do my three dunks first, and then I see Bron and he’s like ‘Throw it up, throw it up!’ and I’m like ‘Nah, you don’t gotta dunk,'” Maxey said. “I tried to throw him a lob close to the rim so he could just put the ball in there, (but) he still wanted to cock it back and dunk, I’m like ‘Man, he’s crazy.'”
Both Maxey and James share the same agent in Rich Paul, making their workout together a bit less random. Maxey also mentioned that they’ve spent offseasons together in the past, and both enjoy the friendly competition against each other on the court.
Ready To Lead A Mix-Match Sixers Team
Maxey’s 26 points per game over the past two seasons prove that he is ready to lead this next edition of the 76ers. While Joel Embiid remains the franchise centerpiece, the big man has failed to stay healthy over the past three years. They also acquired Paul George before last season, but he also struggled with health concerns last year.
Along with them, Philadelphia also has second-year player Jared McCain back healthy and ready to make an immediate impact. Many considered him the favorite to win Rookie of the Year, but a wrist injury cut his season short. The Sixers drafted V.J. Edgecombe with the third overall pick out of Baylor, now making their team a combination of younger and veteran players, with Maxey right in the middle, potentially about to enter his prime.
“I went to a little workout…I was looking around, and I was like, ‘I’m the oldest player here,'” Maxey said in the same interview about another offseason workout he attended with some of his younger Sixers’ teammates. “I was the young guy, all the way up to maybe last year. Even my fourth year in the league, I was still the only rotation player that was that young.”
“I think it’s a good transition, though,” Maxey added. “I’m just happy to be the leader of that young group, that young core. One thing that I’m going to implement on day one with that group is ‘We are going to work.'”
Philadelphia finished with a 24-58 record last year, the team’s lowest number of wins in a decade. While Maxey, Embiid, George, and McCain all missed a combined 193 games, it wasn’t in the cards for the Sixers last season, but they hope to bounce back and stay healthy next year in a wide-open Eastern Conference.
Sixers’ $205 Million Star Reveals Truth On LeBron James Workout