Former Kentucky Wildcat Tyrese Maxey was named the Kia NBA Most Improved Player for 2024 on Tuesday.
Maxey, who played at Kentucky for the 2019-20 season, committing to John Calipari in Lexington as a five-star recruit, McDonald’s All American and former Mr. Texas Basketball.
He and the Cats finished the season 25-6 as the SEC regular season champions before the NCAA Tournament was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic that halted all sporting leagues.
For his effort in his lone season in college, Maxey was named to the All-SEC second team and the SEC All-Freshman team before declaring for the 2020 NBA Draft, where he was selected in the first round at No. 21 overall.
In the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers, Maxey took a few years to find his footing before becoming a superstar in the 2023-24 season, becoming an NBA All Star and now the Most Improved Player.
Maxey has averaged 25.9 points and 6.2 assists per game alongside reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid.
Entering the NBA Playoffs as a No. 7 seed after defeating the Miami Heat in the NBA Play-In, the Sixers currently trail the New York Knicks 2-0 in the first round after losing 104-101 on Monday — a game in which Maxey’s team-leading 35 points were not enough to get the victory.
Maxey and the Sixers will return to action on Thursday, April 25, at home against the Knicks. The game is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET and will air live on TNT.
