Sixers Media Day: Tyrese Maxey Talks Contract Extension, James Harden Drama
Tyrese Maxey pointed to his wrist when asked to describe what “LND” meant to him. LND is short for “Leave No Doubt” which is the mantra guiding everything Maxey does. His dad (Tyrone Maxey) used to text him those three words before every game while he was a star guard for John Calipari at the University of Kentucky. The motto inspires him and motivates him to prove his doubters wrong.
“There’s always doubt in other people’s hearts, you know what I mean? As a human being, you try not to care what other people think of you but it’s always on the back of your mind,” Maxey said. “But, for me, I go out there and leave no doubt. If there’s something they think I can’t do, like if it’s my defense or if it’s my play-making skills, or if it’s me not being able to shoot the ball, you know I come in every year and try to leave that doubt out.”
The Sixers are banking on Maxey continuing to grow in Year 4. That is why the franchise decided not to offer him a contract extension this offseason, instead, they are holding back a significant financial commitment in an effort to “preserve flexibility.” Maxey could have made a stink about the lack of an offer, but he’s banking on himself as the organization clears cap space.
You could say — dare we say it? — that Maxey is trusting the process.
“I’m grateful to them for taking a chance on me and drafting me at 21. I feel like I’ve tried to give them my all in this organization. I work hard every single year,” Maxey said. “And just going to go out there and focus on the season right now. I’m focusing on how we can get better, on how I can be better. Like I said, at the end of the day, it’s competition and we have one goal in mind.
“And I love Philly. I know this is a business. I know this is how it goes. And I’m a happy person, you know what I mean? This is my life. I’m happy with it and you can hear more about all these wonderful stories that we are going to have on my podcast. There we go.”
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There it is, a shameless plug from an unselfish player. The podcast is called “Maxey on the Mic” and airs weekly on iHeart radio. He had Nick Nurse on earlier this offseason with plans to invite Joel Embiid on for a future episode…
“I’m still yet to receive an invitation to be a part of it,” Embiid said when Maxey asked him to plug the show. “But, make sure you listen to it and have fun listening to that knowledge.”
