Tyrese Maxey Labels Relationship With LeBron James as a ‘Big Brother’

Tyrese Maxey opened up about his personal relationship with LeBron James.

Tyrese Maxey Labels Relationship With LeBron James as a ‘Big Brother’

Tyrese Maxey and LeBron James (Image via Covers/X)

LeBron James and Tyrese Maxey have shared a good relationship off the court over the past few years. They share the same agent, Rich Paul, who is also a longtime friend of James.

The two stars have linked up and trained together in the offseason before. They have been training together this summer as well, but things are different this time as they enter the 2026-27 campaign as teammates.

After leaving the Los Angeles Lakers, James shocked the NBA world by signing a two-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers. While James and Maxey are at very different stages in their careers and lives, Maxey sees him as a “big brother.”

In his recent interview on ClutchPoints via Tomer Azarly, Maxey was asked about his personal relationship with the King.

He’s like a big brother to me. A kid asked me the other day, ‘are you and LeBron friends?’ I leaned back and I said, ‘ I guess we are friends. He’s the old, old guy, but he’s like one of my old friends.’ It’s funny because we’re teammates now, co-workers, but it’s kind of like a big brother situation. It’s going to be very cool and an interesting dynamic.

Tyrese Maxey on ClutchPoints

The 76ers are coming off a summer for the ages after their recent acquisitions. They kicked off their offseason by trading for Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics. They bolstered their squad further by signing James as a free agent.

The two stars will be joining forces with Joel Embiid and Maxey next season. On paper, the 76ers may have the most dominant and talented starting five in the league at the moment. Videos of Maxey and James working out together have made their way onto social media, and the excitement is already sky-high.

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Did Tyrese Maxey know about LeBron James’ 76ers decision before everyone else?

When it was announced that James would not re-sign with the Lakers after the 2025-26 campaign, the entire NBA world went into a frenzy. Several teams lined up to sign the four-time champion as he looked to prioritize his happiness and his ability to contend for a championship at this stage of his career.

VJ Edgecombe hinted that Maxey had an idea about James’ decision to join Philly. But Maxey kept it close to his vest and did not reveal anything to his teammate.

However, the 76ers guard rejected those claims when asked about it during his interview.

I’m not going to say I knew and just didn’t tell anyone, but I had multiple conversations with LeBron. I work out with LeBron early in the morning, and that’s just off of being cool with him.

Tyrese Maxey on ClutchPoints

Tyrese Maxey revealed that he did not know anything definitely but did believe that the 76ers had a legitimate chance in securing his signature. Adding James to a star-studded squad like the 76ers has gotten the entire Philly fanbase excited heading into the new campaign.

Julius Erving explains LeBron James’ role with Philly

LeBron James is coming off a historic 23rd season in the NBA. While there were many rumors about his future in the league, he has confirmed he will play his 24th and 25th seasons in Philly.

LeBron James
LeBron James (Image credits – NBA)

With a starting five full of stars, there have been a lot of questions on James’ role in his new team. Former NBA champion and 76ers legend Julius Erving expects James to be an all-around contributor for the 76ers.

I think the role for him is not to be the leading scorer, not to be the leading rebounder, and not necessarily the leading assist guy, but to be a factor in all those areas statistically. And then what he brings to the game that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, that’s going to be as valuable as anything else.

Julius Erving on Action Network

At 41, it is a lot to expect from James to lead his team in scoring. He did take a backseat for the Lakers last season as Luka Doncic was the focal point of the team. Hence, Erving expects James to more or less be the same for the 76ers and also to bring in some much-needed leadership in the locker room.

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