Tyrese Maxey’s rise in Philadelphia did not begin with a guaranteed role, a starting spot or even the sense that he belonged near the front of the rotation.
According to Maxey, it started at the bottom.
“Opportunity is the biggest thing.” And I think the second biggest thing is being ready for opportunity. My rookie year, I got drafted into a team that was trying to win a championship.”
Maxey entered the NBA in 2020 as the 21st overall pick, joining a 76ers team built around Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons and carrying immediate postseason expectations. For a rookie guard, that meant minutes were not going to be handed out simply because he had been drafted in the first round.
“I work extremely hard, so I feel like I deserve to be on the court. But I had to go out there and earn that. Training camp, I remember I started at the bottom. Lowest of the low. I didn’t have a jersey on. I had a penny on. That put a chip on my shoulder day one.”
Rather than viewing that position as a setback, Maxey said it sharpened his mentality. His response was to perform well enough in camp that the coaching staff had little choice but to keep moving him up.
“I went out there and performed the first two or three days of training camp. Then Sam threw me out there with the second group. Then he threw me out there with the starters for a little bit. Eventually Shake got hurt, so I ended up having to start.”
The progression was gradual, but Maxey’s mindset was not. Once a legitimate opening appeared, he had already decided what he wanted to do with it.
“My thing was, listen… If I get a chance to start, I get a chance to take over this, I’m not looking back. I feel like I’m good enough. I work extremely hard to be here. I deserve to be here.”
That belief eventually became reality. Maxey developed from a reserve guard fighting for minutes into one of Philadelphia’s foundational players, earning an All-Star selection and establishing himself as one of the league’s most dangerous scoring guards.
What stands out in his retelling, though, is how little he focuses on the eventual rewards.
Instead, Maxey keeps returning to the period before anyone knew what he would become.
“My only advice to younger people is be ready for the opportunity. You know what you’re working for every single day. Sometimes it feels like you’re not working for anything.”
That is the part of professional development that rarely appears in highlights. Players spend months or years preparing for minutes they may never receive, and when the moment finally arrives, there is often no grace period.
“But when that opportunity presents itself, you’ve got to be ready for it. You can’t go out there and stink it up. You’ve got to elevate your game.”
Tyrese Maxey says he went from not even having a practice jersey at the start of his NBA career to deciding he’d never give the starting job back
“Opportunity is the biggest thing.” nd I think the second biggest thing is being ready for opportunity. My rookie year, I got drafted… pic.twitter.com/CD9MJ8rk0v
— Josh Chambers (@JoshChambers) August 24, 2026
For Maxey, that lesson was learned before he became a star. He remembers being the rookie without the proper practice jersey, wearing a penny and working from the back of the line. What happened afterward was not guaranteed. He was simply determined that, once his opportunity arrived, he would make sure it never disappeared again.
