Tyrese Maxey stuffed the scoreboard with 51 points in a 127-124 win over the Utah Jazz. It was a big night for the Philadelphia 76ers powerhouse who not only made a career-high score but also earned his first All-Star selection. The TNT crew was buzzing with excitement when Tyrone – apologies – Tyrese wore the headset. After the 23-year-old was congratulated by the team, he ended the interview on a cheeky note.

It happened when Charles Barkley said, “Congratulations and please tell your Mama I said hello.” Maxey acknowledged it and responded, “Ey, Chuck, you know my dad’s name is Tyrone and my name is Tyrese. Just lettin’ you know.”

That’s a running joke on Inside the NBA. The newly-minted All-Star is the son of Denyse and Tyrone Maxey. But that was not a factor when Chuck accidentally, more than once, referred to him as ‘Tyrone Maxey’. That nearly got him in trouble with Denyse Maxey too. “Your mom go crazy when I call you Tyrone,” Barkley said. Maxey confirmed, “She loses her mind.”

What started as a slip of the tongue turned into a joke between Chuck and the Maxey family. Barkley’s even turned it into an ingenious motivation tool.

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Charles Barkley’s beef with Tyrese Maxey’s mom

In 2023, discussing about Maxey’s less-than-impressive numbers on the Takeoff show, he said, “He needs a Tyrone Maxey game.” That got quite the reaction online and left many tickled. Interestingly, he admitted it wasn’t an accident.

“I like calling him Tyrone because it p****s his mom off.” He proceeded to say, “She yelled at me one day… I’m just messing with her.” When asked how often he does that, he confessed he does it often to mess with Tyrese but it irks Denyse most.

“We have the same limo service in Philadelphia. And she called me when I was in the car. She’s like, ‘why you calling my son Tyrone?’ I said, ‘Mrs Maxey, I’m just messin’ with you.’ But I think he’s a heck of a player.” He proceeded to change his tune by saying when he’s playing poorly, he’s Tyrone. He wanted Tyrese ‘back’ and step up for the Sixers.

Notice how Chuck didn’t mention ‘Tyrone’ till Maxey did himself? In the absence of the injured stars like Joel Embiid, Maxey has indeed stepped up as Barkley wanted. Who do you think is dominant on the court – Tyrone or Tyrese?

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