Gregg Popovich takes basketball and winning very seriously. That’s why he’s arguably the greatest head coach of all time, making the San Antonio Spurs one of the biggest dynasties in NBA history. Even though they’ve been struggling to become competitive again, the Spurs’ best years were nothing less than remarkable.
They made it to the playoffs for 22 straight seasons, going to six NBA Finals and winning the championship five times during that stretch. It was a great run for them, but that doesn’t mean they had to fight hard and make some difficult decisions to reach the place they wanted to be.
2x NBA champion Vernon Maxwell was part of those decisions that led the Spurs to become one of the best teams in NBA history, long before they became the winning machine they were for over 20 years. Back in 1989, he was traded to San Antonio from Denver, but the Spurs sold him to the Houston Rockets the following year.
Maxwell recently revealed that his clubbing habit was something Gregg Popovich tried to change, and the head coach didn’t hesitate to make sure Maxwell was behaving while in San Antonio.
During a recent interview on Gilbert Arenas ‘No Chill’ podcast, Maxwell revealed the reason why Popovich shipped him away from San Antonio and made him a Houston Rocket (6:10 mark).
“I couldn’t do that s— he wanted me to do,” said Maxwell, via Air Alamo. “I’m from Florida. I’m new in San Antonio and these [expletives] are trying me everywhere I go, so I’m knocking [expletives] out in the streets. So Pop tells me ‘no more clubs. The next time you go to a club, I gotta get you out of here.’ “
“That day, six hours later, I was at a damn bar, in a club,” revealed Maxwell. “He called me the next day, about six in the morning — ‘hey, I need you down here.’ He said, ‘I told you.’ They had a PI follow me. My dumb— didn’t even know. He told me, get your s— packed. I’m trying to find a team that wants your a–. He called me back and said ‘you’re going to Houston.’ That’s when I took off from there.”
Even though it was a tumultuous exit, Maxwell thanks Pop for doing that, as he indirectly made the player a 2x NBA champion.
“It’s hard because you’ve been that guy all your life. I wouldn’t have made it [without that happening]. I was on my way out of the league. He sent me to my city. Got me where I want to be.”
Vernon made some enemies during his career (especially Utah Jazz fans) thanks to his personality, but he has nothing but love for Pop, who knew he wasn’t a good fit for the Spurs given his off-court activities. In the end, both parties won, with Maxwell winning two championships with the Rockets and Pop becoming a legendary head coach, winning six championships with San Antonio.
