76ers guard Tyrese Maxey wins NBA Sportsmanship Award

Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey was recently named the recipient of the Joe Dumars Trophy for winning the 2023-24 Sportsmanship Award. This award recognizes a player who "best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court.” This is Maxey’s first time receiving the honor and he is the first Sixer to be named the winner since Eric Snow captured the honor in 2000.  

His points per game averaged jumped from 20.3 in 2023 to 25.9 in 2024, which was good enough for his first All-Star appearance. He also nearly doubled his assists per game, improving from 3.5 a year ago to 6.2 which was much needed following the departure of James Harden in October. Maxey continued to shine with a stellar first round series in which he averaged 29.8 points per game to go along with 6.8 assists.

Tyrese Maxey made the giant leap for the 76ers this season

Tyrese Maxey has become a household name around the NBA since being drafted in 2020 out of Kentucky. Not only is he impressive on the court with his stellar play, but he is also a class act as evidenced with his Sportsmanship Award victory. He is always the first player to pick his teammates and opponents up and his composure in big moments is admirable. While his competitive nature shows, he never lets his emotions get to him which is a credit to his discipline and upbringing.

He credits his parents for helping him become the player and person he is today so it is fitting that they were given the opportunity to share this moment and honor with him. Still just 23 years old, Maxey’s maturity and discipline is commendable and one of the many reasons that he is one of the most respected and liked players around the NBA. Not only is he a class act on the court, but Maxey also does a lot of great work off the court. He is very active in the community and in 2021 he started the “Tyrese Maxey Foundation” which “aims to provide youth with the necessary skills to become leaders in the classroom and community”. 

While he is not currently under contract with the Sixers, he is a restricted free agent which means that he will, barring an unthinkable turn of events, stay in Philadelphia for years to come and become an essential building block as the team looks to get back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2001 and win a title for the first time since 1983.