Tyrese Maxey revealed that he personally contacted LeBron James multiple times while recruiting the future Hall of Famer to join the Philadelphia 76ers, saying he believed the veteran could help the team compete for a championship.
Speaking on the “Numbers on the Board” podcast, Maxey explained that the recruitment started casually before becoming more serious once Philadelphia had a realistic chance to land James.
“Did I call? For sure,” Maxey said. “I hit him and was like, ‘Yo you know like pull up, like I think we got a good chance. I feel like you can help us. You arguably the greatest of all-time, so it’s like why wouldn’t we want you on our team?’”
Maxey said he initially contacted James in 2025 as a joke before James re-signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, but this time the conversation was different. After receiving encouragement from Rich Paul, Maxey said he spoke with James “at least three or four times” during the recruitment process.
The effort ultimately paid off, with James joining Philadelphia in free agency and creating a new star-studded 76ers roster alongside Maxey, Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown. Brown arrived in a blockbuster July trade with the Boston Celtics, giving Philadelphia three established offensive options alongside its franchise center.
Maxey is coming off his most productive NBA season. The 25-year-old averaged 28.3 points, 6.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds in 70 games while shooting 46.2% from the field, 36.7% from three-point range and 89.2% from the free-throw line.
His 38.0 minutes per game were also the highest mark among Philadelphia players, reflecting the workload he carried as the team’s primary perimeter creator.
The arrival of James and Brown means Maxey will have to adjust his role. He acknowledged that sacrifice will be necessary but said the priority is winning rather than maintaining his individual responsibilities.
“At the end of the day I want to win,” Maxey said. “I am going to have to change some of the things.”
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The new lineup also gives Philadelphia a considerably different offensive structure. Maxey averaged 28.3 points and 6.6 assists last season, while Embiid averaged 26.9 points in 38 games. Brown now joins them after Philadelphia traded Paul George and draft compensation to Boston.
Philadelphia finished 45-37 during the 2025-26 regular season, earning the Eastern Conference’s seventh seed before beating Boston in seven games in the first round. The 76ers were then swept by the eventual champion New York Knicks in the conference semifinals.
