In basketball lore, 14× NBA All-Star Michael Jordan stands as a revered and notorious figure for his tenacity on and off the court. While many in the NBA community praise him, his longtime rival, Vernon Maxwell, has a different story to tell. 2× NBA champion recalls an incident where Jordan’s aggressive antics took a surprising turn, completely changing Maxwell’s view of the Bulls legend.
During a podcast on Gil’s Arena, Maxwell recounted his initial encounter with MJ, painting a vivid picture of the 6× NBA champion’s relentless approach. Mad Max described the former shooting guard as ruthless, willing to do anything to get his shot. “He was big and strong,” Maxwell said, explaining how Jordan would wrestle with him and throw elbows just to see how he’d react.
“He wanted to see if you could take this or if you were going to get over it,” the 58-year-old recalled. One of those elbows hit Maxwell in the face, which he described as a terrifying experience. But he wasn’t the one to back down. He threw an elbow back at the Chicago Bulls legend. The referee’s reaction was priceless. “The referee looked at us, and we looked at him, and he said, ‘Go ahead, y’all good,’” Maxwell said, laughing.
Things took an even funnier turn when the referee approached them again. “Max, we know you like to play like that, and we know you’re dirty m***f*** so go ahead.” The referee admitted he was happy Maxwell hit Jordan because he was tired of Jordan punching and throwing elbows at others. Maxwell appreciated the referee’s honesty, realizing how competitive MJ was. “That’s when I knew he was the best.”
But the story doesn’t end here. In another podcast, Maxwell described Jordan as a “killer” and “dirty m***f***,” underscoring the intense and sometimes rough nature of their battles on the court.
Vernon Maxwell Reveals Another Jordan Story
In an interview, Vernon Maxwell talked about how he prepared to play against Michael Jordan. He said having a strong mentality was key because MJ could sense fear. “He can sense when a m***f*** is scared. You can’t be none of that s*t,” the former Houston Rockets guard said.
Adding to his story, Mad Max also mentioned that to compete with Jordan, players needed to be very determined. “You have to be, to be that great. You have to be a dog,” he explained.
Other players, like Steve Kerr, also experienced Jordan’s tough behavior. The head coach of the Golden State Warriors once shared that Jordan punched him during a disagreement. But this incident helped Kerr earn Jordan’s respect, and they became good friends afterward.
Another example is when the Bulls released a few teammates of Jordan and brought in a player from a rival team, Bill Cartwright. Jordan called him “Medical Bill” and threw hard passes at him during practice to point out his weaknesses. Despite this, Jordan and Cartwright won three championships together.
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