Tyrese Maxey is SLAM's newest cover athlete

SLAM is celebrating its 30th anniversary by highlighting the 30 players who defined the basketball magazines first 30 years, while also keeping an eye on 30 who could define the next 30. Among the latter category? None other than Tyrese Maxey, the outlet’s next cover athlete for SLAM 248.

“TYRESE MAXEY, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN,” the cover reads.

“Tyrese Maxey is both the present floor general of the Sixers and the team’s brightest young star,” SLAM said of the former Kentucky star.

Maxey has emerged as a certified superstar for the 76ers, exploding for a career-high 25.7 points, 6.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 44.8% from the field and 37.3% from three. With James Harden out, the former Cat is now Philadelphia’s starting point guard and is expected to earn his first All-Star nod in year four with the franchise.

The 23-year-old guard out of Dallas, TX is the face of the Sixers alongside MVP frontrunner Joel Embiid, creating one of the most dominant one-two punches in the league. SLAM is celebrating Maxey’s growth by putting him on the cover of its next magazine, one of the game’s most prestigious honors.

How did Maxey find out he was the cover athlete of SLAM 248? His mom, dad, uncle and best friend surprised him inside the 76ers basketball facilities.

“I get to play the game that I love every single day and I have fun while doing it with a smile on my face,” he said of his journey in SLAM’s feature. “And while I’m doing that, I’m on TV, kids are watching and I’m trying to inspire them to make their dreams come true—not just basketball dreams, but life dreams. I tell everybody that you can do whatever you put your mind to.

“Don’t let anybody tell you you can’t, as long as you get one percent better at it, you know what I mean?”

SLAM gives you a behind-the-scenes look at Maxey finding out the big news: