PHILADELPHIA – Tyrese Maxey was taking his usual pre-game nap Monday when his phone started blowing up. First on the line was VJ Edgecombe, trying to show him what was on TV at halftime of NBC’s afternoon coverage, announcing the starters for the 2026 NBA All-Star game. “I answer, and he’s s creaming and showing me the TV,” Maxey was recounting Monday. “I’m like, OK, and we chopped it up for a little bit. And I was thankful for that. Then my mom called me. And I said, listen, I’m going back to sleep. I’ve got work tonight.” That work has been recognized with Maxey being voted a starter for the All-Star game. It’s his second career All-Star nod, joining the 2023-24 season. Maxey was named among the East starters alongside the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown of the Celtics, Jalen Brunson of the Knicks and Detroit’s Cade Cunningham. “I’m just blessed, man. I’m blessed,” Maxey said. “I have great teammates, great organization that believes in me. I give grace to God every single morning to be able to wake up and do what I love every single day. And I just work extremely hard to be in this position.” The voting is weighted with 50 percent from fans, 25 percent from NBA players and 25 from the media. Maxey was second in the fan vote among Eastern vote getters. Only Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic and Antetokounmpo got more fan votes than Maxey league-wide. With the All-Star Game going to a U.S. vs. the World format, that makes Maxey the top American vote getter. Maxey is third in the NBA in scoring at an average of 30.3 points per game. He leads the league in minutes at 39.3 per contest. He’s also 15th in assists (6.7) and fourth in steals (1.9). He’s done it for a Sixers’ team that entered Martin Luther King Day two wins away from matching the 24 accumulated in last year’s disastrous season. “I think it’s awesome,” coach Nick Nurse said. “I don’t know if anybody would have projected that before the season started, so I think that’s always a nice surprise. It’s a hell of an honor, one of the top five guys in the conferences is really a big honor. It’s a historic thing.” Nurse pointed to the aggressiveness and confidence that has grown in Maxey as a big reason. He’s been given opportunity, the 21st overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft rising from an anticipated complementary player to becoming the primary facilitator for the 76ers, playing on a team with likely future Hall of Famers Joel Embiid and Paul George. He’s continued to add attributes to his game, whether it’s in his 3-point point shooting — from 30.1 percent as a rookie to 40.2 percent this year — or in his defensive aptitude in becoming one of the league leaders in steals. He’s also shouldered the responsibility leading a team with championship aspirations while Embiid has frequently suffered through injuries the last three seasons. Being on the All-Star team was not necessarily a goal, but it’s a byproduct of his goals this season. “I guess you could say it’s one of the goals, for sure,” Maxey said. “But my main goal is for us to win, and all the rest of that will come. I feel like, if I’m healthy and we can win games and stay afloat and try to get into a playoff spot and do something special there, then all the rest of accolades and all that stuff will come.” Both Maxey and Nurse understand that it’s less a culmination than a reason to keep getting better. “He’s maturing, getting older,” Nurse said. “We’re trying to give him every opportunity to be aggressive and go do his thing. He’s very talented, and I keep saying there’s still a lot of room for growth.” ...read more read less