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Tyrese Maxey called out Stephen A. Smith over a claim he made about his relationship with former teammate James Harden.
The 76ers star fired back Friday after the ESPN pundit claimed Maxey once went to former Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers’ house nearly in tears over Harden’s lack of effort during the NBA playoffs.
“Here yall go🫤… I’ve never even been to DOC house 😂,” Maxey wrote on X.
Smith made the claim on ESPN’s “First Take” on Friday, one day after Maxey and Harden got into a heated argument during the Sixers’ 114-106 comeback win over the Cavaliers.
The pair exchanged shoves and got in each other’s faces during the fourth quarter before being separated.
Smith suggested the confrontation stemmed from lingering resentment over Harden’s performance during the 76ers’ 2023 playoff run.
“You remember when Tyrese Maxey went to Doc Rivers’ crib, damn near crying,” Smith said on the show, claiming Maxey had been frustrated by Harden’s lack of effort.
Smith pointed to the Sixers’ loss to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals, when Philadelphia squandered a 3-2 series lead.
Harden scored 13 points on 4-for-16 shooting in Game 6 before putting up just nine points on 3-of-11 shooting in a Game 7 loss.
The former MVP was traded to the Clippers several months later following a messy breakup with the organization.
Smith suggested the confrontation showed that Maxey was still upset with his former teammate.
“You better believe there’s some residue from stuff like that,” Smith said.
Maxey poured in 32 points as the Sixers erased a 29-point deficit to stun the Cavs on Thursday.
Harden finished with 16 points and six turnovers.