Vernon Maxwell earned his "Mad Max" nickname on the strength of his reputation as one of the NBA's greatest enforcers in the 1990s. Of course, Maxwell also didn't shy away from unleashing his temper on his own teammates, particularly Gary Payton.
During a recent appearance on Gilbert Arenas' podcast, Maxwell opened up about a legendary fight between him and Payton during the 1999-00 season. It's hardly surprising, then, that the duo's brief partnership with the Seattle SuperSonics lasted just one season.
As Maxwell details in the clip below, him and GP exchanged blows during a practice leading up to the 1999-00 season. The altercation began when Payton took his frustration out on rookie Shammgod Williams, hitting him in the face and leaving him bleeding. Maxwell, who was a mentor to Williams, decided to teach Payton a lesson.
"Gary looked back, got the ball, and just turned around and knocked the shit out of Shammond," he shared. "He busted. him wide open. Blood was everywhere, coming through his fingers, all over the floor."
Maxwell added, "That pissed me off so bad. I was mad as hell. I really wanted to hurt that boy because, first of all, Shammond was a young black man coming into the league. God damn, man, show the man some respect, help him out."
From there, Payton tripped Maxwell during a subsequent trip down the floor, resulting in a beatdown in front of the entire Sonics team and front office.
"I got the ball, drove to the basket, and Gary tripped me. I got up and said, ‘Didn't I tell you?’" Maxwell explained. "Then I just ran at him and hit him with a bunch of blows, pulled his jersey over his head, and slammed him down in front of the owner, the general manager, and Westphal. I was sitting on his chest, beating him some more until Chuck Person knocked me off him."
Watch Maxwell reflect on his fight with Payton in the clip up top.
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