Tyrese Maxey addresses viral argument with VJ Edgecombe: ‘That’s my little brother’

There will be times when passionate teammates have heated exchanges.

One of those occasions happened Friday night between the 76ers’ backcourt mates, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, during a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The two were spotted arguing near the bench during a break in action after Edgecombe left Cavs standout Donovan Mitchell wide-open for a three-pointer. Maxey yelled something to Edgecombe after the made basket, and the discussion on the sideline during a timeout. The two-time All-Star point guard even rose from the bench to further explain his point to Edgecombe, leading to a spirited discussion in front of teammates, coaches, fans and cameras.

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A video of the exchange, which circulated on social media, has gone viral.

“I was not aware until my dad called me and was like, ‘Hey, you and VJ good?’” Maxey said. “I was like, ‘Uh, yeah. Why?’ A couple of people sent [the video] to me, and I kind of just laughed at it. We want to win so, so bad. And we talked about the scenario of, like, not leaving Donovan Mitchell. … I didn’t want him to leave Donovan Mitchell.”

With Mitchell running down the court, Maxey wanted Edgecombe to switch off Craig Porter Jr., the ball handler. Instead, both players followed Porter, who passed to a wide-open Mitchell.

After catching the pass, the six-time All-Star stepped into a 27-foot three-pointer to knot the score at 16 with 6 minutes, 52 seconds remaining in the first quarter. The Sixers held Mitchell to 13 points on 4-for-13 shooting that night after he tormented them for 35 points two nights before.

Aside from the miscommunication, the Sixers guards did a solid job defending him. However, they struggled offensively. Maxey had 22 points on 9-for-23 shooting. Edgecombe scored 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting. He didn’t attempt a shot in the third quarter and scored three points on 1-for-2 shooting in the fourth.

But a lot of attention went to their exchange in the video.

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“I just told him, like, man, in certain scenarios, certain principles go out the window,” Maxey said of wanting Edgecombe to switch on to Mitchell. “Like, this dude is really good, and he had 35 on us last night. I say all that to say, we just want to win. Like, we laughed about it after the game. I was the first person to tell him, like, ‘Dude, you shooting five times in a basketball game is not going to cut it for us. Like, we need you. You’ve got to be up to 10, 12. Like, you’ve got to be aggressive.’

“So, man, that’s fine. That’s my dog. That’s my little brother.”

On Friday, T.J. McConnell joined another former Sixer, Lou Williams, as the only players in NBA history to record 3,000 assists off the bench.

McConnell, who’s in his seventh season with the Indiana Pacers, reached the milestone with two assists in the first quarter of the Pacers’ 129-117 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Williams, who played a combined 17 seasons with the Sixers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, Houston Rockets, and Los Angeles Clippers, recorded 3,262 assists as a reserve and added 527 as a starter.

After adding three assists in Monday’s 114-103 loss to the Sixers, McConnell has 3,010 assists off the bench. The 11th-year veteran is just one of five players to reach career marks of 3,000-plus points, 2,000-plus assists, 1,500-plus rebounds, and 500-plus steals as a reserve.

“I feel like my playing here established the player I was going to be throughout my career,” McConnell said of spending his first four NBA seasons with the Sixers. “It established a mindset on how I’m going to play, how I’m going to go about it, and how I’m going to be a pro.

“Obviously, I’m very thankful for my time here, because I wouldn’t have been put in a position to play as many years as I did. For them to take a chance on me and establish the type of player I want to be, I’m thankful.”

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Undrafted out of Arizona, McConnell began his NBA journey as the Sixers’ fifth-string point guard during training camp in 2015. At the time, the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder didn’t even have a locker.

The former Sixers fan favorite averaged 6.4 points and 4.7 assists in 314 games with 72 starts before signing a free-agent deal with the Pacers on July 29, 2019.