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Tyrese Maxey revealed exactly how he approached LeBron James to join the Philadelphia 76ers after leaving the LA Lakers.
James joined the 76ers on a two-year, $8 million contract, taking the veteran minimum salary to form one of the most stacked starting fives in the NBA.
Maxey has had a close relationship with LeBron for years and leveraged his connection with the superstar to bring him to the team.
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How Tyrese Maxey convinced LeBron James to join the Philadelphia 76ers
Speaking on the Numbers on the Board podcast, Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey revealed that he had been trying to recruit LeBron James to the team for years.
While his previous attempt to lure the King to the City of Brotherly Love hadn’t worked, Maxey and James’ agent, Rich Paul, encouraged the All-Star to reach out to LeBron and convince him to join.
“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 work out in the morning.
“So I was like, ‘Give me LeBron’s number, I’m about to mess with him real quick, just like on some funny stuff.’ I hit him, like ‘Yo, you always welcome to come to Philly if you want to, you know what I’m saying?’
“Before he re-signed back with the Lakers, I knew he was going back to the Lakers, but I’m just messing with him.
“And then this time, RP (Rich Paul) is like, ‘I don’t know what he’s going to do, he doesn’t know what he’s going to do. So, man, holla at him if what you’re thinking.’
“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.”
Maxey wasn’t the only member of the 76ers to reach out to him, as GM Mike Gansey and Bob Myers, who serves as the President of Sports for the 76ers’ ownership group, also contacted James.
The 76ers made a very aggressive push to land LeBron James, feeling that he would be the missing piece their new-look starting five needed in order to compete for an NBA championship.
With James now on the 76ers, they are considered one of the favourites in the Eastern Conference and are expected to compete for the NBA championship.
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