They’re brothers in arms, they’re friends but most of all, Tyrese Maxey and James Harden are fierce competitors. That explains how the two ended up in a shoving match on the floor as the 76ers completed their comeback against the Cavaliers.
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It all unfolded in the fourth quarter. The 76ers had just pulled ahead 98-95, with under six minutes left, when the two former teammates started pushing and shoving each other. The referee had to step in, but the crowd had already found its target.
Chants of “F–k you Harden,” began ringing in the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. The two tussled after Maxey’s defensive abilities became a pain for James Harden to deal with.
Harden grabbed Maxey by the jersey and pulled him aside, and the 76ers guard wasn’t about to let it go. He turned and shoved Harden away. The referee stepped in first to break it up, with teammates and coaches following.
Social media blew up with clips of the interaction going viral. NBC’s sports anchor John Clark reported on it, saying, “Wow, Tyrese Maxey and James Harden were friends before the game.”
They really were. Before tip-off, Harden had called Maxey back out of the tunnel just to greet him properly on the court.
For years, Maxey has seen Harden as a mentor. When Harden arrived in Philadelphia in 2022, he helped Maxey grow in confidence, pushing him to be more aggressive and attack the basket.
“He taught me a lot. I appreciate him for it. I still talk to him to this day, he still critiques the stuff that I do,” Maxey told The Athletic in January 2024, months after Harden had left the team.
Harden’s exit from Philadelphia was messy, but his relationship with Maxey survived it. So did it all fall apart after one heated moment?
Tyrese Maxey and James Harden: A friendship that survives
Harden arrived in Philadelphia in a February 2022 trade for Ben Simmons. That summer, he turned down a $47.4 million player option and signed a cheaper two-year, $68 million deal, giving the 76ers room to sign P.J. Tucker and Danuel House.
The relationship soured a year later. Harden has said that then-president Daryl Morey promised him a max contract in return for the pay cut. The 76ers denied any such promise, and the NBA’s earlier investigation found no wrongdoing tied to the pay cut. Harden opted into his $35.6 million final year, requested a trade and publicly called Morey a liar.
The 76ers traded him to the Clippers in 2023, and he moved on to Cleveland in a February 2026 deal for Darius Garland.
This did not affect his relationship with Tyrese Maxey who still saw him as a mentor figure. Maxey maintained that nothing was wrong between the two even as Harden signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Naturally, when fans saw the two clash on the court, rumors were in abundance. Some wondered whether their competitive nature had pushed them to the edge. The league is fierce and it often brings out the most in any player. So are the two enemies now?
Not quite. “I love him, and he loves me,” Maxey told the press afterwards. He expressed that it’s not about personal differences. Instead, it’s just their competitiveness coming to the surface.
Maxey ended the game with 32 points, six assists, and three rebounds. The Philadelphia 76ers won 114-106. James Harden, on the other hand, finished with 16 points, five assists, and three rebounds.