Tyrese Maxey’s emergence this season was a pleasant surprise. After the James Harden fiasco, he was seen as a temporary fix to fill in as the primary point guard until Daryl Morey and the front office found a more permanent solution. But no one was expecting this meteoric rise. This season, with increased responsibility in the wake of Joel Embiid’s injury, Maxey produced an All-Star season, averaging career highs in points per game (25.9), assists (6.2), and steals (1.0). The league duly recognized his efforts, naming him NBA’s Most Improved Player on Tuesday. And now that he has made it, he wishes nothing more than for his grandmother to be here to witness it.

Tyrese’s grandmother, Mildred “Mimi” Maxey, instilled in him the belief that no dream was too big and no goal too lofty. When a 6-year-old Maxey started playing basketball in front of the house, she would often be outside rebounding for him. “She used to go outside and rebound for me when I would shoot. She played video games with me. She was that type of grandmother. She would do anything for me,” Maxey said of his grandmother. Sadly, Mimi was not there to witness her grandson’s rise to NBA stardom.

After battling multiple strokes, she passed away on September 13, 2020, at the age of 83, two months before the 2020 NBA Draft. “When she got sick, she would watch Tyrese’s games from home. I was praying that she would stay alive to make it to draft night. But she didn’t make it,” lamented Tyrese’s father. However, Maxey honored his grandmother during the NBA’s virtual draft day by wearing a bracelet that said “Long Live Mimi.” The family also saved her a seat at the roundtable they sat at during the draft. “My mom had seats like we were at the draft. But she left a seat open for my grandmother and no one could sit there,” the 76ers guard said.

Tyrese Maxey fulfills his grandmother’s wish

Mimi was a God-fearing woman who dedicated her life to serving the less fortunate, feeding the homeless, and spreading kindness wherever she went. With Maxey’s parents away for work, she played a crucial role in shaping his character and imparting her values of compassion and generosity to him. “She always said I was going to make it. But she also said, ‘Just make sure you give back,'” recalled Maxey. Following his rookie season, Maxey honored his grandmother’s wishes and started the Tyrese Maxey Foundation.

The foundation is built on the bedrock of “faith values” and serves the Dallas-Fort Worth area and Philadelphia. The nonprofit organization has taken several impactful initiatives, including hosting a Back to School Block Party with free haircuts, backpacks with school supplies, and food in Garland. They have also organized Christmas toy drives in Philadelphia and Dallas-Fort Worth in the past. Moreover, Maxey and his family distributed Thanksgiving meals to more than 300 families in West Philadelphia in 2022, when he won the NBA Cares Community Assist Award. So, even though his grandmother is not here with him today, he knows “she is watching down on me, and she would be happy.”

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