Philadelphia star: This is how I convinced LeBron James to join us

Tyrese Maxey admitted that he tried to convince LeBron James to join Philadelphia, but did so gradually and with restraint. "I don't blow up anyone's phone. Now, did I call? Sure," Maxey said on the "Numbers on the Board" podcast. "At first, I didn't know if it was even possible. I sent a message to Rich Paul: 'Bro, give me LeBron's number, I'm going to bother him a little.' Just joking."

Maxey said that the first message he sent to James was: "Hey, you're always welcome in Philly," even before LeBron signed a new contract with the Lakers. "We all knew he was going back to the Lakers. I'm just joking with him," he added.

However, during the last free agency period, Maxey's approach became more serious. According to him, Rich Paul told him: "I don't know what he's going to do. He doesn't know what he's going to do either, so talk to him." Maxey said that he then reached out to LeBron again: "I told him: 'Come here, I think we have a good chance. I feel like you can help us. If not the greatest player of all time, then you're at least one of them, so why wouldn't we want you on our team?' I gave him the whole picture, and I probably talked to him at least three or four times."

According to the report, Maxey's conversations, along with conversations LeBron had with Joel Embiid and the addition of Jaylen Brown during the summer, helped convince the star to sign a minimum contract with Philadelphia.