Tyrese Maxey Is Smiling His Way To His First NBA All-Star Game
Over the many years I have spent as the public address announcer for the Philadelphia 76ers, I have been fortunate enough to see many great players in the NBA. With that being said, there have only been a select number of Sixers selected as NBA All-Stars during my tenure, and last night we got our newest one — Tyrese Maxey!
Of course, the 76ers are one of the most decorated franchises in NBA history, but that doesn’t guarantee that you will always have All-Stars.
In my twenty-plus years with the organization, I have seen players like Allen Iverson, Andre Iguodala, Jrue Holiday, Ben Simmons, and Joel Embiid be recognized with the All-Star honor.
With that being said, I am not sure that I have been happier to see a player achieve that status than I was last night when it was announced that Tyrese Maxey made that game for the first time in his young career!
Don’t get me wrong though, I am always happy when Sixers greats get recognized by the league!
Tyrese Maxey continues to improve at an unreal rate, season after season, and he rightfully earned his way onto this year’s NBA All-Star game!
However, the thing that endears Tyrese Maxey to all of the greater Philadelphia area and Sixers fans worldwide is the fact that he always has a smile on his face.
I remember a few years back, Tyrese Maxey had an autograph signing at the West Deptford Mall just over the bridge in New Jersey, and I was there to meet the fans as well.
A lot of guys would look at something like that as a chore or a hassle, but Tyrese Maxey was excited to be there! And that’s saying a lot considering the event was rescheduled to a later date, which could’ve thrown off his schedule because it snowed during the original date.
I would say you could see his smile from a mile away, but it was back when we were all masked up in public spaces during the pandemic! However, you could feel his smile and great energy anytime he engaged with fans.
What could have been better than being selected for your first NBA All-Star Game? Well, I guess scoring 51 points the same night — and that is exactly what Tyrese Maxey did last night!
Congrats, Tyrese! I can’t wait to see you put on a show in the big game!
More from Matt Cord…
The Inside Look At Joel Embiid's Historic 70 Point Game
I have been doing the public address announcements for the Philadelphia 76ers for almost three decades. I have seen a ton of cool and historic things over the years. With that being said, I’ve never seen what Joel Embiid did last night at the Wells Fargo Center.
I consider it a privilege to be able to announce for the Sixers in Embiid’s era with the team and in the NBA. It is truly amazing.
What he did last night was truly unreal and there are not enough adjectives to describe his performance.
In case you are living under a rock, or had an early night last night, here’s the headline. The reigning MVP set a Sixers franchise record last night with a 70-point game against the San Antonio Spurs.
He broke Wilt Chamberlain’s previous record of 68 points scored in a single game, which Wilt did in 1967.
For those wondering — Yes, Wilt Chamberlain did, in fact, score 100 points before in a single game for a Philadelphia team. But it was actually with the Philadelphia Warriors, not the 76ers.
Anytime you can beat a record held by Wilt Chamberlain, you know you are amongst the all-time greats.
Well, that is exactly what Joel Embiid did last night.
Oh, and if his 70 points were not enough for you, he also checked in with a career-high in rebounds as well with 18 boards.
Talk about a man on a mission.
Last night was already a special night to begin with. Rookie sensation, Victor Wembanyama, took the court for the first time in his career in Philadelphia.
Wemby is a 7’4” center from France. He is the most highly touted rookie since LeBron James. So you know the building had a buzz to start the night.
Then Joel Embiid took the court, and you could just tell by his body language that he was going to dominate.
However, I don’t think anyone in the building could predict just what he was going to do.
Speaking of people in the building, the stars were out to see the game last night, including M Night Shyamalan, Charlie Mack, Brian Westbrook, Duce Staley, Michael Schulson, Michael Rubin, Tyrone and Denise Maxey, the 6th man Alan Horwitz, and Jumaine Jones — who actually rang the bell as well!
I think it is safe to say that they all left impressed.
I know I did — so much so that Good Day Philadelphia is sending a cameraman to the MGK studios to get my reaction!
Congrats to Joel Embiid on a historic night, and I can’t wait to see what he does next!
If they let him play all 48 minutes in one game, I am sure he can break Chamberlain’s record of 100 points one day!
Enjoy the social media reactions and sights on sounds from my perspective last night below!
Matt Cord is the host of the Matt Cord Show. He is a lover of all Philly Sports and has been the voice of the Sixers for 27 years and NBA2K for the past 4 years. As a cyclist enthusiast, Matt writes about his adventures all throughout the city.
