On the “AlltheSmoke” podcast, former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson welcomed old school Houston Rockets guard Vernon Maxwell, an NBA champion and fan favorite in Houston during his days playing with Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon back in the 90s.
Maxwell was known to bring a street mentality to the game, never afraid to talk trash, get physical or even all-out brawl. He hasn’t changed much either, three decades later.
There are plenty of players who probably wouldn’t want to toss it up with Maxwell in his heyday. He was known to keep that thing on him as well, off the field.
Hakeen Olajuwon Smacks Vernon Maxwell During Halftime Back In Day
Hakeem “the Dream” Olajuwon was not one of those players intimidated by Maxwell’s mouth or anything else.
Matt Barnes asked Maxwell if there was any truth to the story that the Top 75 legend once smacked Maxwell during halftime of a game.
Maxwell, who is unfiltered and honest to a fault at times, immediately responded, “there is a lot of truth to it. A lot of truth,” which the hosts found highly amusing.
“That MF looks like he scrapes his hands on the ground,” Maxwell said, referencing the 7-foot Nigerian’s physical appearance. “Oh my goodness.” Maxwell recalled with a grin. “He hit me so goddamn hard”
“We was in Seattle. I’m having a bad first half, so I’m mad. And when I get mad I used to spit,” Maxwell recalls, while moving his head and making a spitting sound. “I’m walking, I’m spitting, and the n—a Sam [Cassell] is sitting right beside me, saying, ‘You alright, Max? Man, it’s going to be OK.’”
Maxwell says he responded with more profanities, saying, “Man f- -k that sh-t. These n—-s ain’t getting me the ball, won’t pass the ball. F- – – this sh-t.”
So how does the greatest shot blocker in history end up using his elite skill to fly Maxwell’s head like he did basketballs shot by opposing players each night?
“Dream was behind me,” Maxwell continues, “Dream is like, ‘Maxie, WTF are you doing? That sh-t is not professional. Stop that. Don’t do that sh-t.”
The voice of God spoke, but Maxwell was too in his out-of-control zone to heed the warning, allegedly responding to Hakeem, “Man f–k that sh-t, I’m tired of you too.”
What Did Mad Max Do When Hakeem Olajuwon Smacked Him?
The panel burst out in laughter and Maxwell did too, asking himself, “Now why did I say that there?”
“I shouldn’t have said that. He came in put his big ol’ hands on me and slapped the sh-t outta me.”
“He came from the back?” Barnes asked, trying to measure the ferocity of the blow.
“Man, he came from way back,” Maxwell said. “He slapped the sh-t out of me so hard. I thought he punched me. Those big-ass hands. That man slapped the sh-t outta me man. Damn near killed me.”
Hakeem Olajuwon Has Top 10 Biggest Hands In NBA History
Olajuwon reportedly has the seventh-largest hands in NBA history measuring 11.5 inches (29.21 cm) tall and 10.5 inches (26.67 cm) in width. He sits just beyond Denver Nuggets veteran and fellow 7-footer DeAndre Jordan and, believe it or not, the great Michael Jordan who had huge hands measuring 11.375 inches and 9.75 inches wide.
That must have been a wild experience for Maxwell.
Barnes tried to give Max an opportunity to regain his manhood, asking, “But knowing you, what did you do?”
Maxwell hesitated and said, “Well,” before Jackson interrupted saying, “you had to get yourself together, huh?”
Everyone burst out in a stream of laughter.
Maxwell said, “I went crazy. Everybody was running and scrambling in that motherf- – – -r when I got there doing what I was doing, ’Cause I went crazy.”
Jackson also did his part to get the full story, most importantly, Maxwell’s real reaction.
“It’s only one thing after a big n- – – a like that slap ya. I’m going to get the tool,” Jackson said.
To which Maxwell replied with a devilish look, “Boy, you better know it.”
Jordan Poole Is Not Alone: Vernon Maxwell Feels His Pain
Luckily, the Rockets had a bunch of veterans on that back-to-back NBA championship squad in 1994 and ’95 while MJ was on baseball sabbatical. There are plenty of wild stories that are still untold about the many characters on that Houston Rockets squad. It was nice of Maxwell to share that story again. It’s always entertaining.
Yes, kids, stories of the ’90s hit way different than now. Also, let’s not think Draymond Green was the first team leader to ever smash on a teammate who was acting unprofessional or against team culture. Jordan Poole and Vernon Maxwell should sit back, enjoy a beer and trade stories.
