Tyrese Maxey schools Paul George on Philly fans: ‘They just want to make sure we’re giving it our all’

Tyrese Maxey heard the Paul George speculation during the season as much as the fans did, and he took it about as seriously as the fans — until the offseason. The Sixers had a plethora of cap space, and there was no better candidate than Paul George, but speculation on social media is just speculation.

“You can’t never believe that,” Maxey said on Monday’s episode of Podcast P with Paul George.

But come the offseason, Joel Embiid gave Maxey a call and said George was the guy he wanted, and Maxey was sold.

“He went down the free agent list, and he was like, ‘This is what I want to do,’” Maxey said of his conversation with Embiid. “I’m like, ‘Listen, man, I’m going to ride with you until the wheels fall off. I think it’s a great idea.’ I was watching one podcast, that you talked about the other day, it’s like, the fit is crazy, if you think about it. We got, if not the best player in the world, the best big man in the world, the big fella, Joel, and then you’ve got myself, a guard, and then a wing. You can’t ask for nothing better than that.”

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With Maxey emerging as a star, Embiid at his peak, and George entering the fold, Maxey said this is perfect timing for everything to come together for the Sixers. He’s also confident the Sixers fan base will embrace George, as a two-way player who brings it on both ends every night.

“I connect with the Philly fans because, how I grew up, I never was given anything,” Maxey said. “I wasn’t ranked high growing up, I had to go out and work for everything I got. So Philly fans, the people, the residents there, they just feel very passionate about their teams. They work extremely hard, the people that you see in the stands, they’re working people, they work for those tickets. When they come to the games, they just want to make sure we’re giving it our all.”

George has already had a few interactions with Philly fans, which he’s shared on past episodes of Podcast P, but Maxey said fans often approach him in the city to give him advice or to show love, and he’s excited for George to experience it.

“I walk in somewhere and they say, ‘Maxey’ — first of all, they come up to you like they know you,” Maxey said. “Like, ‘Hey, what’s up Max?’ I’m like, ‘What’s up, baby? I’m good.’ And they just give me their advice, man, like, ‘Hey, you’ve got to start shooting the [mid-range] more, you gotta start doing this more, you gotta be more aggressive.’ Nothing but love. I appreciate them. They’re gonna show love. That’s one thing that they’re going to really do, they’re going to rally behind us.”