• Tyrese Maxey dropped 43 on LeBron and the Lakers, Tuesday night
  • The 2024 All-Star asked LeBron for a special gift after the game
  • 76ers snapped the Lakers four-game winning streak with 118-104 victory
Credit: Imago

Tyrese Maxey wasn’t just celebrating a big victory over the Lakers on Tuesday night. Neither was he celebrating his own performance, after dropping 43 points on LeBron and co. Instead, the Philadelphia 76ers point guard was celebrating the end of a five-year wait and a special gift from his ‘big brother’.

Maxey helped snap the Lakers four-game win streak, last night at the Wells Fargo Center, with the Sixers running out 118-104 victors over an under-par LA side.

The 2024 All-Star and Most Improved Player of the Year made the victory over the Lakers his eleventh consecutive 25+ point game, earning the Sixers their third consecutive win. This potential burst of good form looks likely to come too late into the season to salvage any playoff hopes, but it did ensure Maxey earned LeBron’s jersey after the game.

Speaking during the post-game press conference, Maxey told reporters, “I told him after the game, ‘look man, I waited five years to ask for a jersey… I think I’m going to get it this year,’ He’s like ‘alright cool.’ But he’s just like a big brother to me. Same agent, I work out with him a few times every summer… What he’s done for our game has been amazing.”

With Joel Embiid only playing 13 games this season and Paul George missing 15, a lot of pressure has been on the 24-year-old’s shoulders. The Sixers are currently sitting 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 18-27 record, so the post-season is still a long way away, but as Maxey continues to display this sort of form, who knows what could happen between now and mid-April.

LeBron, meanwhile, recently shared his own story about playing with his heroes, as he described what it was like to play in Michael Jordan’s legendary pickup games as a 17-year-old.

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Joe Baiamonte
Joe spent four years heading up SPORTbible’s editorial team before taking over at UNILAD Sport. Joe has regularly provided WWE coverage for almost a decade, interviewing many of the biggest names in the business and covering several major events in the United States and Europe, including four WrestleManias.
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