Vernon Maxwell

Maxwell was born in Gainesville, Florida. He attended Buchholz High School in Gainesville, and played for the Buchholz Bobcats high school basketball team. As a senior, Maxwell was the Mr. Basketball of the state of Florida as well as being an all-state defensive back in football.

Maxwell received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida, where he played for coach Norm Sloan's Florida Gators men's basketball from 1984 to 1988. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 20.2 points as a senior and still holds 15 Gators team records. He left school after four years as the Gators' all-time leading scorer (2,450) and the No. 2 scorer in Southeastern Conference history behind LSU's Pete Maravich. He averaged more than 20 points in both his junior and senior seasons, although Florida would erase all the points Maxwell scored in those seasons due to Maxwell taking money from agents and accepting a free round-trip ticket to go to a basketball camp.[2]

On June 28, 1988, Maxwell was drafted into the NBA by the Denver Nuggets, who traded him the same day to the San Antonio Spurs for a second-round pick the next year. Two years later, his contract was sold to the Houston Rockets, where he would become a key member of the franchise's first championship team in 1994. Known for his clutch shooting, Maxwell hit several game-winning shots throughout his career. Maxwell held the NBA's record for most 3-pointers made in a season from 1991 to 1993.[3] During the Houston Rockets' mid-1990s dynasty, Maxwell was viewed as the team's second man next to Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon. Maxwell was not a part of the Rockets' 1995 championship roster, quitting the team after a loss to Utah in the 1995 playoffs. Clyde Drexler, who Houston had acquired during the beginning of that season, had taken away most of Maxwell's minutes and his starting spot. The decision to quit the team is something that Maxwell has been said to regret; the decision would ruin his career, as he would then become an NBA journeyman for the remainder of his career. He was the last Rocket to wear #11 before Yao Ming.

Maxwell spoke out against Magic Johnson's NBA comeback in 1996; Johnson had retired in 1991 after contracting HIV.[4]

• February 1995: In a game at Portland on February 6, he ran into the stands punching a fan due to the fan heckling him. The NBA suspended him for ten games and fined him $20,000.[5]
• April 1995: Feigning a hamstring injury, he was given a leave of absence after the first game of the playoffs. Maxwell later admitted he was frustrated with not playing; the incident was hyped as Maxwell being disgruntled at the team's recent acquisition of Hall-of-Fame guard Clyde Drexler. His actions led to the Rockets ending his tenure with them.[6]
• August 1995: Shortly after signing with Philadelphia, Maxwell was pulled over after he ran a red light. During a search, police found a bag of marijuana on the floor of the car. Maxwell pleaded no contest and posted a $25,000 appeal bond, but lost the appeal. Three years later, while Maxwell was playing for the Charlotte Hornets, a Texas judge issued a warrant for his arrest and he was extradited to Houston, where he served a 90-day sentence.
• 2000: The Seattle SuperSonics fined Maxwell and Gary Payton for a locker-room brawl on March 26, that left two of their teammates, who tried to play peacemakers, hurt.[7]

• Career stats
• NBA.com player profile
• "'Mad Max' threw away talent and much more" - Column by Hubert Mizell of the St. Petersburg Times