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Tyrese Maxey Endorsed by NBA Legend as 76ers’ Leader

A Philadelphia 76ers legend is confident in the future of Tyrese Maxey.

Justin Grasso

Feb 2, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) reacts against the Boston Celtics in the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Feb 2, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) reacts against the Boston Celtics in the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
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Times are changing for the Philadelphia 76ers. While Joel Embiid will be the face of the franchise as long as he’s on the team, it’s clear that leadership duties are beginning to shift. Once the Sixers signed the one-time All-Star Tyrese Maxey to a major multi-year contract last year, the young guard knew he was acquiring more responsibility as a leader, and he took that seriously.

From the outside looking in, the Sixers legend Julius Erving is sold on Maxey as the team’s leader going forward. In a recent interview with 97.5 The Fanatic, Erving issued some high praise for Maxey.

“I think [Tyrese] Maxey is my choice of being the leader. He had some health issues last year, but I think he’ll rise above that,” said Erving.

“He’ll be probably the best player on the team, the one who can play most consistently, night-in-and-night out for 70-plus games.”

During the 2024-2025 NBA season, the Sixers’ star core struggled to stay healthy. Joel Embiid appeared in fewer than 20 games. Paul George played just half of the season, while Maxey appeared in a career-low 52 games.

While the Sixers’ recent campaign left a sour taste for fans, leading to a ton of outside criticism surrounding Maxey, who averaged 26 points, six assists, and three rebounds throughout the year, there is a lot of confidence in Maxey from within the organization. That was clear during a round of Sixers players’ exit interviews, as many players praised Maxey for his leadership, unprovoked.

The Sixers are confident that Embiid will bounce back as long as he recovers well. They are still hopeful that the George signing will pan out. Both players will be critical for the franchise moving forward, but Erving is under the impression that Maxey will soon shift into the captain’s chair.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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