Tyrese Maxey college career: How good was the former Kentucky star? Stats, notable achievements and more
Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey played college basketball at Kentucky for one season. He had a great season and became NBA-ready within a year.
Maxey was a consensus five-star talent. By his senior year, Rivals.com and 247Sports ranked him 10th nationally, while ESPN ranked him 13th. He received offers from several colleges including Michigan State, Kentucky, UCLA and SMU.
In May 2018, Maxey pledged to join Kentucky. Maxey had a great first year, showcasing his ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor. He averaged 14.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 31 games.
Although his freshman college year was impacted by COVID-19, Maxey managed to win silverware, guiding the Wildcats to the SEC regular-season championship. He scored 17 points against Auburn in the final.
Unfortunately, the 2020 SEC tournament and the NCAA Tournament were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This ended Maxey's freshman season earlier than expected.
College Basketball Report shared an old clip of Maxey's college hoops days on X/Twitter.
"Up late thinking about Tyrese Maxey at Kentucky. I’m still sick to my stomach we didn’t get to see this team in March Madness…"
That season, Maxey was named All-SEC Second Team and made the SEC All-Freshman Team. In April 2020, he declared for the 2020 NBA draft. The Philadelphia 76ers used their first-round pick to select him at #21 overall.
Tyrese Maxey's first All-Star selection in 2024
Tyrese Maxey earned his first All-Star Game selection as an Eastern Conference reserve on Feb. 1, 2024. He also won the Most Improved Player award for the 2023-24 NBA season.
In 2023-24, Maxey averaged 25.9 points, 6.2 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game, marking his most impressive NBA season yet.
Tyrese Maxey put up even better numbers in the playoffs with averages of 29.8 points, 6.8 assists and 5.2 rebounds, but the New York Knicks knocked out the Sixers in the first round.
Maxey became the sixth player in Sixers history, alongside greats like Allen Iverson, Wilt Chamberlain, Joel Embiid, Hal Greer and Dana Barros, to achieve 50+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 5+ assists in a game. He achieved the feat against the Indiana Pacers in November 2023.
Furthermore, Maxey achieved a personal milestone on April 7 by scoring a career-high 52 points in a thrilling 133-126 victory against the San Antonio Spurs.