Known finest as “Mad Max,” retired capturing guard Vernon Maxwell performed with the Houston Rockets over components of six seasons from 1989 to 1995. That run included a beginning function on the franchise’s first championship staff in 1993-94 alongside legendary heart Hakeem Olajuwon.
But within the early years, there was apparently not less than one evening wherein their partnership might have resulted in infamy, and maybe worse.
In a brand new look on the “No Chill with Gilbert Arenas” podcast, Maxwell recalled a sport in Seattle the place police barged into Houston’s highway locker room — with weapons drawn — attributable to a brawl.
According to Maxwell, the incident started once they had been strolling again to the locker room, and the 2 exchanged harsh phrases — with Maxwell wanting extra on-court alternatives to shoot. From there, Maxwell says Olajuwon slapped him within the face. The interview continues:
I mentioned, ‘God rattling, this motherf***er slapped the s**t out of me.’ That motherf***er hit me so exhausting, man, [he] knocked me out the chair.
I jumped up, grabbed my chair, and throwed it at [that] motherf***er, bust the glass within the locker room. Everybody working out. Police are available in with the weapons drawn, like ‘What the hell goin’ on in right here?’
I used to be like, ‘Damn, they obtained the weapons on me at an expert halftime.’ At an expert sport.
Maxwell mentioned he had grabbed a chunk of glass and was going to “chase Dream (Olajuwon) and stab the s**t out of him,” however between the police presence and the sport’s resumption, he didn’t get the possibility to.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6_SRhezAv4
Fortunately for the Rockets, that duo went on to have higher days. In explicit, Maxwell credit Olajuwon’s conversion to Islam led to him changing into a greater teammate because the years progressed.
“After that, [Hakeem] turned Muslim,” Maxwell recalled. “He was so quiet. So humble. So, [he] wished me to turn out to be Muslim. I couldn’t do it. But, he was an excellent teammate after that.”
Maxwell jokingly referenced the incident earlier this season after the extremely publicized halftime drama involving Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr. at Toyota Center on New Year’s Day. “I don’t keep in mind making an attempt to stab anybody, but when I did, it was out of affection,” Maxwell tweeted.
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Story initially appeared on Rockets Wire
