Philadelphia 76ers: Rising Star Tyrese Maxey is proud to be a Sixer

The Philadelphia 76ers got a good one in Tyrese Maxey.

Initially doubted by some coming out of college for being a “tweener” who wasn’t elite in any one area, Maxey has taken on every challenge presented to him by Doc Rivers, the absence of Ben Simmons and the pressures of playing for one of the most passionate fanbases in the association and has consistently risen to the occasion.

And the best part? He seems to love playing for Philly as much as the Sixers love employing him.

That Phila pride was on full display at NBA All-Star weekend’s Rising Star game, where Tyrese Maxey wanted nothing more than to represent his adopted city and drew attention to the fact that while he was technically a member of Team Worthy, at least for the evening, his heart lies with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Tyrese Maxey’s love for the Philadelphia 76ers is mutual.

The Philadelphia 76ers are very well represented at All-Star weekend.

After watching their two All-Star streak get snapped at three, it looked like the Sixers would only have two players on the weekend, without a representative in the dunk contest, 3 point shooting contest, or the Clorox Clutch Challange.

But then, in a matter of a week and change, things started to turn around.

First came a second All-Star in James Harden, who was traded to the Sixers in a deal you have surely read about ad nauseam. Did Harden play a single game for the Sixers before the All-Star game? No. Was Harden expected to play on All-Star weekend? No, his hamstring made that decision for him too. But do Philly fans care? No, I don’t think they particularly do; the Sixers have a second All-Star, and that, my friends, is no small feat.

Then came Tyrese Maxey, who was technically already headed to the Rising Star game because, well, because duh, but was eventually elevated to the Clorox Clutch Challange as an injury replacement for Davion Mitchell of the Sacramento Kings.

What, you may ask, is a “Clorox Clutch Challange?” Well, four groups of players had to attempt five famous shots from NBA playoffs passed in the fastest time possible in order to be named the winners.

After looking good in a losing effort against Team Isiah (Thomas) Maxey and Toronto Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes attempted to run through the routine and unseat the dynamic duo of Tyrese Haliburton and Desmond Bane to add some hardware to their trophy chest.

*spoiler alert* it didn’t go well.

Barnes and Maxey bricked about a half-dozen attempted hook shots from the restricted area to the cringing gasp of fans across the basketball viewing world and failed to connect on three of the five shots in the allocated time.

Granted, was it fun to watch? For fans outside of Philly/Toronto, I bet it was, but hey, it’s cool; the two most heartwarming moments of the Friday Night soiree actually came before the events opened up, when Maxey made a point of highlighting the Phila across his chest during his player introduction instead of solely basking in the moment, which is the sort of team-first behavior fans have come to love from the second-year guard.

See what I mean? That was a sweet moment.

Later, once Maxey’s playing time was done, he took a seat – still wearing his orange uniform – courtside with All-Star starter Joel Embiid, where two of the Sixers’ franchise players chatted, joked around, and just generally took in the atmosphere of a very unique Cleveland All-Star experience.

Outside of the on-court performances of his two teams, it’s hard to call Maxey’s first All-Star experience anything other than a success.

Because of COVID, the NBA didn’t run a Rising Star event during Tyrese Maxey’s rookie season. While he would have surely been in the game had it taken place, as Maxey’s numbers were still solid as a rookie, watching the second-year guard take the court as a more advanced, mature player was a sight to see for Philadelphia 76ers fans the world over. Though the actual results of Maxey’s efforts didn’t result in any massive moments or a trophy, the pride of South Philly proved without a doubt that he is a true NBA Rising Star.