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Why the Sixers? James explains decision, Maxey’s influence originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
LeBron James knows exactly what Tyrese Maxey is all about.
As the Sixers’ new superstar detailed on the latest episode of his “Mind the Game” podcast with Steve Nash, that’s an enormous reason why he chose to sign a two-year, minimum-salary deal to come to Philadelphia.
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“First of all, my relationship with Tyrese Maxey goes beyond the court,” James began an extended response to Nash’s question about his free agency decision.
James and Maxey share an agent in Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul. Long before Maxey’s rise to All-NBA guard, James saw special qualities in the ultra-dedicated, exceptionally joyful Kentucky product.
“I just love everything about Tyrese Maxey, man,” James said. “Every day you get the same person, and that is very rare in sports and it’s obviously super rare in life. I’ve always talked about how great of a person he is. And we obviously know what he brings to the basketball court.
“When I became a free agent and we decided to let the Lakers know that I wouldn’t be returning, he was one of the first people that was on my line. ‘Yo, what are we doing? What’s up, OG? What’s up, old head? Come on down here, man. We could use you down here.’ … There’s a lot of times that I don’t answer the phone for some phone calls, because I don’t even want to be swayed one way or I already know what you’re calling about. But he’s such a great person. I cannot not talk to him.”
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James recalled first meeting Maxey ahead of the 2020 NBA draft.
“He’s been the same person since the moment I met him, before he was drafted into the NBA,” he said. “The same exact person. He came to my house and at that point in time he was 19 years old, so he was actually hanging with (my sons) Bronny and Bryce. They were playing video games inside the house. So I met him and said what’s up to him when he was going into the draft. But he was closer to Bronny and Bryce than he was to me, so he was hanging with them.
“He came in and he was super respectful to me, super respectful to my wife, super respectful to…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/why-sixers-james-explains-decision-122019923.html
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Publish date : 2026-09-25 12:20:00
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