Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
Standing out front of Faheem\u2019s Hand of Precision, located on South 20th Street, Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey<\/a> recalled sitting on his front steps \u201clike a bad kid.\u201d During his second year in Philly, the two-time All-Star would walk across the street to get hot chips, watch a young kid from the neighborhood ride his dirt bike back and forth, and see kids on the bus passing by banging on their windows to get his attention.<\/p>\n Fast forward five years and Maxey was back on his old stomping grounds to promote the upcoming release of his signature New Balance sneaker, the Maxey v1s. <\/p>\n \u201cI went and got a haircut and sat on those steps and talked to people that walked by,\u201d Maxey said. \u201cI came through here during the times of 5, 6 p.m. where the whole block, everybody is here. \u2026 This is a place of comfort. This is a place of family. It means a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: ESPN Rank places Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, and LeBron James among NBA\u2019s top 20 players<\/a><\/p>\n Faheem Alexander, Maxey\u2019s barber, has owned the shop for 26 years. Inside, the walls are decorated with photos of Alexander with celebrities like Tiffany Haddish and Tracy Morgan. <\/p>\n However, there\u2019s still no photo of Maxey and Alexander hanging up \u2014 yet. <\/p>\n \u201cI have a spot cleared out for him,\u201d Alexander said. \u201cThat\u2019s my foundation pic. I want everybody to come in and see the picture. It\u2019s been amazing to see him grow, from a fresh faced 18, 19-year-old kid, to now, he\u2019s a father [at] 25 years old. \u2026 It\u2019s just easy, he\u2019s a beautiful person.\u201d<\/p>\n Maxey getting his own signature shoe is another example of the young guard\u2019s rising star power. He signed a shoe deal with New Balance in 2023, joining players like Kawhi Leonard, Jamal Murray, and Zach LaVine. Since then, he\u2019s starred in the brand\u2019s \u201cWe Got Now\u201d ad,<\/a> and released the Tyrese Maxey Hero Pack <\/a>\u2014 which is a collection inspired by Maxey\u2019s love of comic books that included a basketball shoe, the New Balance Hesi Low v2, and a lifestyle shoe, the New Balance 1906R. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just feeling blessed, and thankful for the opportunity,\u201d Maxey said. \u201cAnd then the biggest thing, I just hope the people are as positive and happy about it as I am. I hope when they put them on, they get to have fun with them. I hope the shoe brings them joy, as much as it brings me. That\u2019s the biggest thing I wish and hope for. And I\u2019m glad to see it come to fruition now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Tyrese Maxey debuts his New Balance signature shoes, which arrive just in time for Sixers\u2019 playoff run<\/a><\/p>\n Maxey debuted his New Balance signature shoes in April<\/a> during the Sixers\u2019 109-97 play-in game victory over the Orlando Magic that clinched the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. Ahead of the sneaker\u2019s release, Maxey visited three local Philly spots as a way to surprise fans. <\/p>\n His first stop was at Foot Locker, located on Chestnut Street, where he met with the workers and posed for photos with fans who spotted him through the window. <\/p>\n \u201cI basically grew up here,\u201d Maxey said. \u201cI\u2019ve been through all these places, these streets, everywhere. And that\u2019s just me trying to be a good person and a good role model to the kids and the people in the city \u2014 making them smile. Philadelphia has really raised me and it\u2019s really helped me become the person I am today and I\u2019m very thankful.\u201d<\/p>\n The second stop was at the cheesesteak spot Ishkabibble\u2019s, located on South Street, where Maxey took pictures with the staff. <\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Sixers\u2019 Jaylen Brown channels outer space with his new signature shoes that are \u2018NOT from HERE\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIshkabibble\u2019s is important to me because it\u2019s the first place I had a cheesesteak,\u201d Maxey said. \u201cCheesesteaks are huge here. And now whenever I\u2019m close to Ishkabibble\u2019s, I always go stop in. I\u2019ve taken everybody there that I know, pretty much, that come to town.<\/p>\n As Maxey was leaving the shop, Carlos Deloatch, 54, and his wife Valencia Whitfield, 69, stopped him to chat about the upcoming season. <\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t let LeBron [James] come to our city and steal your shine,\u201d Deloatch said. <\/p>\n \u201cHe came here to help,\u201d Maxey responded with a smile. <\/p>\n