2020 Panini Prizm DP Basketball Tyrese Maxey Purple Ice Auto 82/99

2020 Panini Prizm DP Basketball Tyrese Maxey Purple Ice Auto 82/99

Tyrese Maxey (born November 4, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Born in Dallas, Texas, Maxey was inspired to play basketball by his favorite childhood player, Dwyane Wade. He was a shooting guard for South Garland High School, helping the team to their first ever Texas state high school basketball tournament appearance in 2018. A five-star recruit as early as his sophomore year of high school, Maxey contemplated leaving high school early to play for Kentucky, but ultimately stayed at South Garland, where he was a McDonald's All-American and Texas Mr. Basketball during his senior year. From there, he set a Kentucky record with 26 points in his collegiate debut.

After Maxey's freshman season at Kentucky was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, he elected to enter the 2020 NBA draft, where the 76ers selected him 21st overall with their first-round pick. Maxey received limited playing time during his rookie season, making his first NBA start in a game where the 76ers could only field the league's minimum number of players. The following season, however, Ben Simmons's refusal to play for Philadelphia gave Maxey an opportunity to become the team's starting point guard.