One Philadelphia 76ers promised LeBron James he would ‘sacrifice his game’ to recruit him

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In order to help bring LeBron James to the Philadelphia 76ers, one star tried to sweeten the deal by offering to reduce his touches.

The 76ers landing James in free agency has shot them up to the top of the NBA as contenders in the Eastern Conference.

However, in order to lure The King to the City of Brotherly Love, one superstar had to promise he would take a back seat.

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Tyrese Maxey was ‘relentless’ in trying to recruit LeBron James to the Philadelphia 76ers​

Speaking on NBA TV, insider Chris Haynes revealed that Tyrese Maxey was the most aggressive member of the Philadelphia 76ers roster when it came to bringing LeBron James to the team.

He made himself fully available to LeBron, and even told him that he would do ‘whatever it took’ to help James fit, even if it meant taking a back seat to him.

“I was told he was relentless in his pursuit of trying to convince and sway LeBron James that Philadelphia was his best shot and option. I was told he was making it clear he would do whatever it took to sacrifice his game…

“Tyrese [was] constantly calling and texting LeBron James, making sure that if he had any questions, he would be there to answer.”

Maxey and James have shared a friendship since the former entered the NBA in 2020, and are represented by Klutch Sports, the agency run by James’ long-time friend agent, Rich Paul.

LeBron James will benefit from being the conductor of the 76ers offense​

Tyrese Maxey has elevated himself to being one of the best point guards in the NBA since joining the 76ers in 2020.

However, LeBron James, even at age 41, is one of the best passers in the NBA, and one of the last great floor generals the sport of basketball has ever seen.

So it makes sense that Maxey would be willing to take a reduced role as the leader of the offence to put the ball in James’ hand, as he can get the best out of every teammate on the floor.

On top of that, Maxey’s game can be adapted to him being more off-ball, as he had to do just that during his early years on the 76ers alongside Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and James Harden.

And while LeBron James has shown that he can play off-ball during his final season with the Los Angeles Lakers, the 76ers will be far better off with the ball in his hands as he leads the offence.

Read more:

• LeBron James took an in-person free agency meeting with only one team, and it wasn’t the 76ers
• LeBron James makes history and surpasses Shohei Ohtani in incredible statistic after Sixers move
• How much LA Clippers were willing to offer LeBron James to join in free agency

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