Tyrese Maxey breaks down what it was like to recruit LeBron James to the 76ers

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Tyrese Maxey breaks down what it was like to recruit LeBron James to the 76ers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

LeBron James will be playing for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2026-27 NBA season. It was one of the most surprising moves of the offseason, but it makes sense because of how the 76ers have shown ambition to win a title after making the Jaylen Brown trade.

Considering the 76ers also have a strong roster that consists of players like Joel Embiid, VJ Edgecombe, and Tyrese Maxey, it is not surprising in hindsight. Among those players, it seems that Maxey is probably one of the biggest reasons why James has joined the 76ers.

Tyrese Maxey dives into what it was like recruiting LeBron James to Philadelphia​

As the longest-tenured 76ers player not named Embiid, Maxey has become a fixture of Philadelphia. He is one of their most explosive players, as he even took off as the team's star player during the 2025-26 season. Of course, Embiid is still the bigger name, but his injury troubles continue to plague him.

With Maxey elevating into a superstar role, the 76ers have shown that they can be competitive even if Embiid is not the focal point. That gets even better when the 76ers are ambitious in the market, as they managed to get both Brown and James in the same summer.

MORE: Tyrese Maxey is ecstatic that Jaylen Brown has embraced the city of Philadelphia

Maxey himself knows that he played a role in getting James to the City of Brotherly Love. The 76ers managed to snag James on a value contract, as he is not on the massive money he has become accustomed to. Thankfully for the 76ers, Maxey managed to have an impact on getting their newest star.

"Did I call? For sure, like I didn’t know at first if it was possible or not. I don’t know if he was a free agent two years ago or last year, and so we worked out in the morning, so I was like, give LeBron’s number; I’m about to mess with him real quick," Maxey said on Numbers on the Board about his relationship with James over the years.

"So 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?' You know what I mean? Just gave him a rundown on that, and I probably talked to him at least three or four times."

Now, Maxey is enjoying the fact that James is on the same team as him. He grew up watching James play high-level basketball, and then he trained with him regularly during his years in the league. Now, they will be teammates with a goal of winning a championship for a city that has not seen one since 1983.

More NBA news:​

• Jalen Brunson is already looking forward to the opening night game between the Knicks and the 76ers
• LeBron James and Bronny James are set to make NBA history with the Christmas Day matchup between the Lakers and the 76ers
• Some 76ers players are getting their work in ahead of the 2026-27 season
• A former seven-time champion sees Stephen Curry potentially outplaying Kevin Durant and LeBron James
• A Scottie Pippen misquote has led LeBron James' fans outraged

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