The Los Angeles Lakers star congratulated Tyrese Maxey after he was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Usually, it doesn’t take long for the first Kentucky Wildcat to go off the NBA Draft board, but 2020 was a bit different. Tyrese Maxey was one of the top point guard prospects in the entire draft class, but he watched the likes of Tyrese Haliburton and Kira Lewis get taken off the board before him.
Maxey’s wait lasted until pick No. 21, when the Philadelphia 76ers gave him a call to let him know that he was the newest member of the organization. As congratulations poured in, Maxey received probably the grandest one of them all in the form of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James!
Maxey is represented by Klutch Sports
After his collegiate career reached its end, Maxey signed on with Klutch Sports Group to represent him. That very agency also happens to have a big name talent in James and Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons. In fact, Maxey spoke about the advice those two stars and current free agent point guard Rajon Rondo have given him in an interview with the Dallas Morning News.
“A lot of different people have given me advice,” said Maxey. “The most advice, I would say, has come from [Rajon] Rondo, LeBron, Ben. They gave me similar advice: ‘Stay the way you are. Don’t let anybody change your grind. You grind.’ They say I’m probably one of the hardest workers they’ve ever seen, so ‘don’t let the success slow down your grind. Make it motivate you.’”
Maxey accomplished a ton in his lone year at Kentucky. Through 31 games (28 starts), Maxey averaged 14.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 34.9 minutes of play, all while shooting 42.7 percent from the field. At the end of the season, Maxey was named to the SEC’s All-Freshman team and Second Team All-SEC.
Months after declaring for the NBA Draft, Maxey now ends up in a very desirable situation in the 76ers, where he gets the opportunity to play alongside Simmons and star big-man Joel Embiid. However his rookie season starts, Maxey knows he’ll have a huge supporter in LeBron James cheering him on.