Feb. 13, 2026, 2:05 p.m. ET

PHILADELPHIA — When Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey takes the court at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on Sunday night, it won’t be his first All-Star appearance, but he appreciates it all the same.

Maxey, a reserve in the 2024 All-Star game in Indianapolis, will be a starter in the game for the first time in his career. He will be looking to put on a show in an important moment for him as he continues to represent both the Sixers and the Maxey name.

“I’m blessed, dude,” he explained. “Every single day, I thank God. I sent my family a long text message. My mom and everybody and the people that’s going out there with me. That’s really what it’s for, man. I go out there and try to represent the name that’s on the front of my jersey for the 76ers organization. I thank them and then also the name on the back of my jersey, man. I’m blessed to be a Maxey. I’m blessed to be here and I’m blessed to carry that name and I’m just gonna go out there and represent that and represent our organization.”

A maniacal competitor, Maxey is looking to bring that same mentality to a game that needs some competitive juice to get people back and interested in the mid-season contest between the best players in the world. So, the 6-year guard is looking forward to that while also looking to build more friendships that he made in his first All-Star appearance.

“Competing, honestly, man,” he said. “My first time there, I was really tryna feel things out. You’re still, I don’t wanna say starstruck, because when you play against those teams in a regular game, you’re competing against them, and you’re gonna out there to win. Then, when you get there, it’s weird. Like, I was sitting in between Jalen Brunson and Tyrese (Haliburton) and it’s like every single time we play them, I’m out there trying to compete and kill, you know what I’m saying? So, then it’s like in there, it’s a little awkward.”

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At the end of the day, the NBA is a brotherhood. These guys build a bond that will last them a lifetime. Maxey has those relationships with guys like Brunson, Haliburton, Scottie Barnes, and others that he will be able to carry with him for a long time after basketball.

“For the first, like, three minutes, I didn’t say much,” Maxey recalled. “Then we started talking and then you build a little friendship. Like, Jalen Brunson. He’s somebody that we became friends. Donovan Mitchell’s a guy that I became friends with. Of course, Scottie, I’ve known him for years so that’ll be cool actually getting that time to talk to those guys.”

Not only is Maxey competing in the All-Star game, but he will be competing in the 3-point contest on Saturday night. He will be the first Sixer to do so since Kyle Korver in 2005.

“Then, I wanna win the 3-point contest!” he beamed. “I’m in it. So, why not try to win it? And I wanna win on Sunday, too. I was blessed to be able to win my first All-Star game, and I wanna try to win again, and I think it’ll be fun if I embrace the competitive nature.”