The opening game of the 2001 NBA Finals spilled into overtime, and the clock was working against the heavily favoured Los Angeles Lakers. A roster led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal was not supposed to lose. Yet with 50 seconds remaining, the Lakers trailed the Philadelphia 76ers by two and desperately needed a stop.

Tasked with guarding Allen Iverson was Tyronn Lue, one of the league’s peskiest defenders. Iverson caught the ball on the right wing. Jab step. Baseline drive. Just when Lue seemed to cut him off, Iverson crossed between his legs, stepped back and rose for a mid-range jumper in front of the Lakers’ bench.

Nothing but net.

Lue’s contest came too late. As he stumbled and fell at Iverson’s feet, “The Answer” stepped over him — an image forever frozen in NBA lore. During his decade in Philadelphia, Iverson became a franchise icon, setting records for total points, career scoring average and steals. Until late February 2026, he also held the team’s record for most three-pointers made.

Iverson drained 885 triples in 722 games with the Sixers. Then came Tyrese Maxey.

In his sixth season, Maxey didn’t just edge past the mark — he obliterated it. It took him only 375 games, nearly half the time Iverson needed, to rewrite the franchise record books.

“Once I heard about the approaching milestone, I definitely wanted to do it at the crib,” Maxey said postgame. “I think the fans are a big part of my success. I’m very thankful to all the fans. Philadelphia, we have a special connection. And to wear these Iverson-era black jerseys, that’s fun.

“A.I. is somebody we’ve all looked up to — someone I’ve looked up to, being a small guard. To be able to pass him in anything in basketball, that’s cool. To have my name next to his, it’s a blessing.”

Few would have predicted such a feat just a few years ago. Born in Texas, Maxey emerged as one of the state’s top high school prospects and a five-star recruit. He chose the University of Kentucky, but in his lone season there, questions surfaced about his perimeter shooting. He connected on just 29.2% of his three-point attempts, making 33 triples in 31 games.

When Maxey declared for the 2020 NBA Draft, concerns about his shooting likely contributed to his slide. Once projected as a lottery pick, he was still available at No. 21 when Philadelphia made its selection.

His rookie season offered flashes of promise but limited opportunity. Maxey averaged eight points in 15 minutes per game and shot 30% from deep. It took six NBA games before he made his first professional three-pointer.

Then opportunity knocked.

In January 2021, a COVID-19 outbreak depleted the Sixers’ roster. Just 20 years old, Maxey became the only available ball-handler and made his first NBA start. He seized the moment, erupting for 39 points and announcing himself to the league.

That night, he shared the floor with veteran Danny Green, who later joked about the chaos when Maxey briefly left the court. “They subbed Tyrese out for 30 seconds, they pressed me, and I’m like, ‘Doc, I can’t do this. You’ve got to get a point guard in.’”

Maxey’s breakout only fueled his hunger. That offseason, he worked relentlessly on his shooting alongside assistant coach Sam Cassell.

“If every player in the league had his intensity and his work ethic — wow,” Cassell said. “If a team had 15 Tyrese Maxeys on their team — with his work ethic — that’d be a great team.”

The results were dramatic. Maxey boosted his three-point percentage from 30% as a rookie to 42.7% in his second season. His scoring average jumped from eight points to 17.5 per game. He became a starter and a foundational piece.

Early in his third season, he drilled nine three-pointers in a single game, tying the franchise record previously held by Dana Barros and Green — a mark later matched by Paul George in January 2026.

Now, at 25, Maxey is averaging 29.1 points per game — fourth-best in the league — along with 4.1 rebounds and 6.8 assists, shooting 46.2% from the field and 37.6% from beyond the arc. Those numbers earned him his second All-Star selection, and his first as a starter.

Once doubted as a shooter, Maxey has become one of the NBA’s most dangerous offensive weapons and a franchise cornerstone in Philadelphia.

“I always said I was going to make it to the NBA, and I didn’t know what to expect,” Maxey reflected. “Someone asked me at All-Star weekend, ‘Did I expect to be an All-Star starter?’ And I was like, ‘No, man. I just worked.

“I just work, work, work until I can’t work anymore. That’s just the mindset that I have.”

The city that once had “The Answer” may have found its next superstar. The last time the 76ers reached the NBA Finals was in 2001 — the year of Iverson’s iconic step-over.

Now, Maxey is chasing something even bigger: not just records, but a championship — and a return to the history books, this time as an NBA title winner.