Kentucky head basketball coach John Calipari shared Sixers news that many fans were hoping to hear.
A guest on the WIP Morning Show Thursday, Calipari talked at length about his former player, Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, who has been involved in various trade rumors as part of a potential outgoing package, along with Ben Simmons.
Calipari said he had a conversation with 76ers head coach Doc Rivers recently, and the topic of Maxey came up.
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“I was worried to trade Ben, they were going to have to move Tyrese. The way they can move him is, ‘I’ll take Ben, but I have to have Tyrese.’ And I said to Doc, ‘Please tell me that’s not happening.’ He said, ‘Never happening. Look at my eyes, that will never happen.’ I probably shouldn’t say that publicly.”
That’s a huge vote of confidence from the head coach for Maxey, and a huge exhale of relief for fans of the second-year guard, who ranks third on the team at nearly 17 points per game.
Calipari also gushed about Maxey the player, and Maxey the person, and his parents, and shared that Maxey wouldn’t have gone to UK if not for the blessing of his grandmother.
And at the end of Tyrese’s freshman year in Lexington, the coach, always the straight shooter, shared the conversation he had with the then 19-year-old about his future.
NBA
“If you want to do what’s right for you and your family, you go in that league right now. If you want to do what’s right for me, and my family, why don’t you stay, like, three more years?” Calipari joked.
If what Doc told Calipari is the will of the front office, fans will get to see at least three more years of Maxey, as his game continues to grow.