Tyrese Maxey Just Cast The NBA's Version Of The Avengers On "The Tonight Show"

Don’t look now, but Tyrese Maxey is raising his profile as an NBA superstar. Maxey may be surrounded (and, in some cases, physically overshadowed) by household names in the league, but the Philadelphia 76ers court general is proving to be a smooth operator on various media outlets.

This week, Maxey appeared on “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” to help promote NBC’s coverage of the NBA. During this appearance, Fallon brought up the fact that the 25-year-old guard is a huge Marvel fan, so the late-night host decided to merge two of Maxey’s passions.

“I thought it would be kind of fun to do this. Who would your Avengers starting lineup be?” Fallon asked.

Putting on the hat of casting director for a moment, Maxey gave Fallon his Avenger-NBA comparisons.

When it comes to Spider-Man, Maxey has two names in mind: himself and Donovan Mitchell, who happens to go by the nickname Spida. “In the nighttime, he's out there fighting crime. No one knows who he is but he's just doing it because he's a genuine person,” Maxey said of the friendly neighborhood web-head. “We appreciate him for that, so I feel like that's kind of like my personality.”

What about Iron Man? “Shai Gilgeous-Alexander,” Maxey said. “Because of who he is, how he dresses, and he trolls on Instagram. He’s hilarious.”(It’s worth noting, of course, that Iron Man was a mentor figure to Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Is that perhaps echoed in the way Maxey is trying to catch up to the reigning NBA MVP?)

Then, there’s the Hulk. “This is funny. I think that should be Isaiah Stewart,” Maxey said. Anyone who’s watched the Detroit Pistons knows this is self-explanatory.

Captain America? “That would probably have to be LeBron James. Everything he does is special.” Thor? “Luka Doncic. They call him Luka Magic for a reason.”

These are all intelligent choices, but Maxey will have to lead Philadelphia’s mightiest heroes if he wants to go on a deep playoff run this year. The Sixers missed the playoffs last season, but as far as Maxey is concerned, 2025-26 is a brand new day.