March 04, 2023
Tyrese Maxey is a beloved figure in Philadelphia. The explosive third-year guard is seemingly always smiling and upbeat and has bought into the city's character as a hardworking, blue-collar town.
As the digital landscape changes, seemingly everyone with anything to say has a podcast. Tyrese debuted his weekly audio show, "Maxey on the Mic," with his parents, Tyrone and Denyse, and his uncle Brandon as his first guests.
In the first episode, Tyrese opens up about his upbringing in Garland, Texas, just outside of Dallas, and how his family's support helped him achieve his ultimate dream, playing in the NBA.
Tyrese says his father, Tyrone, the director of recruiting for Southern Methodist University's basketball, has made it so that he does not need validation from other people. Instead, he instilled a work ethic in him to continue striving to be the best player he could be by providing him with tough love.
"I don't need them to tell me I played good, I don't need them to praise me, I don't need that," Tyrese said. "He created an environment of tough love which was good for me, which allowed me to be the best version of Tyrese Maxey I could be."
Tyrese tells the story of Tyrone making his young son, who was eight or nine years old, watch game film after the family drove from New Orleans back to Garland following an AAU tournament. Tyrone coaching his son and instilling the importance of preparing and studying helped set Tyrese on a path to becoming a first-round NBA draft pick.
Tyrese said their relationship has changed since the Sixers drafted him in 2020, noting that it was strictly business when he was younger; they were working so he could make it to the league; now he says Tyrone will call him to talk out of the blue.
"He laid the foundation at an early age for me," Tyrese said.
Denyse handles things behind the scenes. She admits to trying not to get involved with basketball much but enjoys being his mother.
"The first thing I think about is gratefulness," Denyse said. "Yes, he is an extremely good player on the court, but this is my son. I do my best to just stay in a mom zone. Yes, he's Tyrese Maxey, but he is my son, and I am watching him do what he has loved to do since I can remember since he was three or four years old."
She said she barely checks social media and tries her best not to be a fan but just his mom.
Tyrese joked that she stays off social media when he has a rough shooting game.
Denyse is super protective of her only son and said she often thought her husband was too hard on him when he was a kid, but it all paid off as he reached his ultimate goal.
When Philadelphia drafted Tyrese, Denyse enlisted her brother to ensure her son would be alright.
Brandon has become Tyrese's road dog and lives with him in New Jersey, helping to ensure the 22-year-old rising star stays on the right path.
"It was a no-brainer; I had never been to Philly before and didn't know what to expect," Brandon said, moving in with Tyrese. "I also had never been away from my kids like that and didn't know how that was going to affect me or affect them, but when your sister comes calling and says she is going to need you, what are you going to say?"
When asked what one annoying thing about living with Tyrese for the last three years is, Brandon said that his nephew is full of energy and is always on go, going to bed at 1 a.m. and getting up at 6 a.m. He also said Tyrese's dog is just as lively as his owner.
Tyrese said he is thankful for his uncle's support and the foundation his parents set for him.
Maxey is currently averaging 19.9 points per game for the 40-22 Sixers, who are in third place in the Eastern Conference behind the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics.
Fans love Tyrese and are indeed grateful to have a guard who works as hard as he does to improve his game after the debacle that was another first-round draft pick who had a highly tight-knit circle of family influence.
"Maxey on the Mic" is powered by iHeart Radio; the audio diary will include basketball analysis and discussion on food, fashion, movies, video games, and more.
