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 for $50,000,^[3] 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.^[4] In January 1991, he became the fourth player to score 30 points in a quarter when he scored 30 of his career high 51 points in the fourth quarter of the Rockets 103-97 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers.^[5] On February 6, 1995, Maxwell went into the stands in a road game against the Portland Trail Blazers and punched a fan that was heckling him.^[6] The fan, Steve George, denied Maxwell's allegations that racial comments and derogatory remarks about the player’s stillborn daughter precipitated the attack.^[7] Maxwell was suspended for 10 games and fined $20,000 for the incident. At the time, it was the highest fine in NBA history and the second longest suspension.^[8] 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 in February 1995, had taken away most of Maxwell's minutes and his starting spot.^[9] The decision to quit the team is something that Maxwell has been said to regret.^[10] He was waived by the Rockets in June 1995.^[11]

He signed with the Seattle SuperSonics prior to the 1999-2000 season. In March, he got into a fight with Sonics star Gary Payton and accidentally hit Horace Grant with a 5-pound weight, when he was trying to break up the fight, injuring Grant's shoulder and forcing him to miss the Sonics next game.^[12] Shortly before the Sonics' first round series against the Utah Jazz, it was reported that he would miss the playoffs due to a knee injury, much to the delight of Utah's players.^[13]

In August 1995, Maxwell was charged with and convicted of misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance after Houston police reportedly found marijuana in his vehicle during a traffic stop.^[14] He would later file appeals to overturn his conviction, but was forced to surrender himself to Houston authorities in April 1998 after the United States Supreme Court refused to hear his case.^[15]

In February 1996, Maxwell was ordered by a court to pay $592,000 to Sheila Rias after failing to respond to her lawsuit alleging him of knowingly infecting her with herpes in 1995. Maxwell received a new trial after claiming Rias had served him improperly, then received a third trial after another default judgment. One day before the third trial was set to begin, Maxwell filed for bankruptcy.^[16]

In the summer of 1996, Maxwell took his eight-year old son, Dominique, to Shands Hospital for a blood test in the hopes of refuting paternity. After the test proved he was the father, Maxwell gave Dominique $40 if he promised not to tell his mother, Myra Jenkins.^[17]

In April 2004, Maxwell spent five days in jail in Gainsville for failure to pay $150,000 in child support to Jenkins. After release from Gainsville, he was extradited to Cobb County on charges of kidnapping and aggravated assault against Belinda Beine, who was described as a recent companion.^[18]

In August 2020, Maxwell made allegations of racial discrimination against Emerson police after being arrested on charges of aggravated stalking, possession of less than one ounce of marijuana, operating a vehicle without a current license plate, operating a truck with an obstructed license plate, not having his driver’s license in his immediate possession when operating a motor vehicle, possession of an open container of an alcoholic beverage in the passenger area, and driving under the combined influence of alcohol and drugs.^[19]

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