76ers' Tyrese Maxey makes feelings on LeBron James very clear ahead of training camp image
The Philadelphia 76ers are ready for the next few seasons, as they have a legitimate shot at making a run to the Finals. The 76ers had one of the best offseasons in the entire NBA after trading for Finals MVP Jaylen Brown.
Philadelphia was smart and tactical with its move to acquire Brown. Then, the team signed LeBron James, completing a remarkable offseason.
“LeBron James is signing with the Philadelphia 76ers for his final run at another NBA championship, he announced Friday,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin wrote. “James, 41, is signing a two-year, $8 million contract with a player option, Klutch Sports Group CEO Rich Paul told ESPN's Shams Charania.”
The young stars on the team are very excited to have the opportunity to team up with James. The 76ers have a great starting five, but Tyrese Maxey believes success this season is going to come down to sacrificing.
“Sacrificing, coming together as one, and going out there competing every single night. Those are the three things that we really have to focus on. It's going to be one day at a time. One day at a time and one step at a time. There's going to be some good days, there's going to be some bad days, but at the end of the day we always want to be stepping in the right direction to come playoff time,” Maxey said.
Maxey was also asked about his relationship with James. The point guard didn’t hold back on his feelings.
“He's like a big brother, like an OG to me. A kid asked me the other day, 'are you and LeBron friends?' I thought about it. I leaned back and I said, 'you know, I guess we are friends. He's the old, old, old guy, but he's like one of my old friends.' It's funny because we're teammates now, co-workers, but it's kind of like a big brother situation. It's going to be very cool and an interesting dynamic,” Maxey said.
It is safe to say that the team Philadelphia has built is going to have plenty of character. That could be important with an older player like James, allowing him to enjoy this stage of his career while playing alongside a group of younger stars.
Guys like VJ Edgecombe, Joel Embiid, Brown, and Maxey probably never thought there would be a time in their careers when they would team up with the four-time champion. However, it has happened, and Maxey doesn’t even know what to think about having a 41-year-old legend on his team.
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