Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey has denied Stephen A. Smith’s claim that he went to former coach Doc Rivers’ house to complain about James Harden.
This has come to light after the two players got into it when the Philadelphia 76ers met the Cleveland Cavaliers in their second NBA game. With the 76ers on a splendid run, Maxey was guarding Harden, but the 2018 MVP took exception to how the young guard was defending him and tried to grab his jersey before being shoved by Maxey.
The two former teammates got into each other’s faces but were separated by referees and teammates.
After the game, comments from Stephen A. Smith started circulating, where he said: “Remember when they got bounced out in the postseason? You remember when James Harden didn’t show up?” Smith said on ESPN. “You remember when Tyrese Maxey went to Doc Rivers’ crib, damn near crying because he was so damn frustrated for the absence of effort that took place.”
Tyrese Maxey denies report of even going to Doc Rivers’ house
Harden was with the 76ers for just one and a half year. When he joined the team, Maxey was just developing into a starter. The former MVP took the player under his wing and helped him become a scorer.
Although the 76ers were not able to reach the Conference Finals with Harden and Maxey, the latter has credited the 11-time All-Star for helping his development.
“Here y’all go, I’ve never even been to DOC house,” wrote Maxey on X.
Harden had disappointing performances in the playoffs for the 76ers. In the 2023 playoffs, which was his last run with the team, Harden had two 40-point games against the Boston Celtics in the playoffs. However, when it mattered the most in Game 7, he scored only 9 points on 3 of 11 shooting from the field. Harden recorded a +/- of -30, and his disappointing night was one of the reasons the 76ers failed to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
While Smith was trying to tie the frustration of that loss to the on-court incident that happened on Thursday night, it could just be the adrenaline acting as a factor.
Harden and Maxey will once again face off on November 6, and it will be interesting to see if they greet each other with warmth or if things get feisty during the game.
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