LeBron James reveals how much Tyrese Maxey played a role in him playing for the 76ers

LeBron James reveals how much Tyrese Maxey played a role in him playing for the 76ers originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season, the biggest story the Philadelphia 76ers have going is LeBron James joining the team. They have one of the best teams in the league this season, and James is the leader and primary playmaker.

There were plenty of factors that went into him joining the 76ers, but Tyrese Maxey is one of the biggest reasons. LeBron has a special connection with his younger counterpart, and that has paid off well for the team because they now have a top star leading the way.

LeBron James credits Tyrese Maxey for helping him get to Philly

For the 2026-27 season, there are plenty of storylines to follow in Philadelphia. James is the leader and playmaker, but the rest of the team also have some high expectations. Players like Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Jaylen Brown are star players, so they will have to live up to the hype.

The 76ers are seen as one of the top contenders from the Eastern Conference after this offseason. Of course, they will have to go up against some of the league’s best teams like the defending champions, the New York Knicks. At the same time, teams like the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics will want to make some noise as well.

MORE: The 76ers’ offseason is a big hit among the league’s general managers

When it comes to bringing James over, the 76ers were always in the running. However, they were not deemed as favorites. Thankfully for them, they have someone like Maxey, who was close to James, so he was a big part of him coming to Philadelphia.

“I work out with Rese every summer, so I already know the type of player he is. I mean, I’m here. A lot of the reason why I’m here is because of him… You just said it, to be able to put in the reps in practice, to rep it, and then to be able to go from a practice court to a main court, the main game is progressive,” James said after the 76ers’ final preseason game.

The 76ers are blessed with some of the most talented players in the game today. Maintaining the 76ers’ level can be hard for any team, but with LeBron serving as one of the leaders, they have potential to become one of the league’s top teams.

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