For the first time in years, the Philadelphia 76ers won’t have an NBA All-Star.

Tyrese Maxey had the best chance of representing the team on one of the NBA’s biggest stages, but he was ultimately not selected.

For fans, many saw Maxey’s exclusion as a snub. For the veteran guard himself, he’s handling it just fine.

“I’m happy, actually,” Maxey told reporters on Friday night after a game against the Denver Nuggets.

“I have a lot of connections with the people that made it.”

Maxey shouted out Cleveland’s Darius Garland, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, and Miami’s Tyler Herro for their nods. The Eastern Conference group will also include Jaylen Brown, Pascal Siakam, Damian Lillard, Evan Mobley, Karl Anthony-Towns, Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Every year, the league has a handful of players who are considered snubs due to the simple fact that there is a lot of star power in the NBA.

In Maxey’s case, timing and team success were probably the most critical factors.

At the start of the 2024-2025 NBA season, Maxey was sidelined for six games in a row after just seven games. He returned to the court on November 20 and has only missed one game since.

With the Sixers often missing their star center Joel Embiid and even playing without the star acquisition Paul George for stretches, Maxey has had to adjust to a major increase in responsibility. While making that adjustment, Maxey’s efficiency took a hit.

Plus, the Sixers have struggled to find wins on a consistent basis. Prior to January 24, the Sixers had a record of 2-10 throughout the new year. As All-Star voting was getting situated, the Sixers were struggling after a disappointing start to the year.

Lately, Maxey has been red-hot. Through the latest five-game stretch, the one-time All-Star is averaging 35 points and seven assists while making 41 percent of his threes. The Sixers are currently on a 4-1 stretch, which is Maxey’s priority at the end of the day.

“I’m more focused on trying to help this team win and get better,” he finished. “That’s the biggest focus that I’ve had these last couple of weeks. I think we’ve done a good job of that. We didn’t win tonight, but we’ve done a good job getting better every single day.”

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