Former NBA champion Vernon Maxwell spoke about his struggle with addiction in a recent interview with ‘Run Your Race’. He noted that his college coach at the University of Flordia treated him poorly and reported him for his drug use, and it led to him getting drafted near the end of the second round of the 1988 NBA Draft, even though he was projected to be a lottery pick before the news.
“This white man treat me like sh*t… That man told me ‘If it was up to me, you ain’t gonna make it motherf**ker because I’m gonna let motherf**kers know about this cocaine and marijuana you be doing’…”
“I was at the combine in Orlando… they had the top players and the first-round picks, I was supposed to go top 10. I went 48 out of 50. He told the league and USA Today… I can’t repair this sh*t… It’s my word against these motherf**kers. It’s true, I did everything the motherf**ker said… It’s okay, I still made it.”
Maxwell really struggled with addiction and wasn’t able to keep his head clear or his body clean while in college. Luckily, he was eventually able to get help and get clean and went on to have a successful NBA career. Maxwell was drafted by the Denver Nuggets with the 47th pick of the 1988 NBA Draft.
Vernon Maxwell Had A Fascinating Career
The Nuggets immediately traded him to the San Antonio Spurs. After a two-year stint, the Spurs traded Maxwell to the Rockets, where he found his greatest success. Maxwell became a key player on their championship team, regularly hitting big shots in clutch moments to help win games.
He won two NBA championships back-to-back with the Rockets. During the 1994-95 season, Maxwell rushed into the stands and punched a fan, claiming that the fan made racial comments and poked fun at his daughter who was stillborn.
The fan denied the claims, and Maxwell was punished with a $20,000 fine, the largest in the NBA at the time, and a 10-game suspension, the second longest in the NBA at that time.
After the second championship win, the Rockets waived him, although that was just a formality. Maxwell had quit the Rockets after a loss to the Utah Jazz in the playoffs, frustrated that most of his minutes, and his role as a starter had gone to Clyde Drexler, whom the Rockets had acquired in February of that year. Vernon later stated that he regretted leaving the team, especially as it was a great situation for him.
Maxwell would bounce around the rest of the league, playing for the 76ers, Spurs, Magic, Hornets, Kings, Supersonics, and the Mavericks before ultimately retiring in the 2000-01 season.
During his career, he averaged 12.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game, and won two NBA championships with the Rockets. While he may have struggled with drug addiction to begin his career, Maxwell was able to turn his life around and find immense success in the NBA as a key championship player.
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