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Former Rockets Guard Offers To Pay Amen Thompson's Fine After Tyler Herro Fight

Shandel Richardson

Nov 19, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Former Houston Rockets Vernon Maxwell waves to the fans before the start of the fourth quarter of the game between the Rockets vs Utah Jazz at Toyota Center. Rockets won 111-102. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-Imagn Images
Nov 19, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Former Houston Rockets Vernon Maxwell waves to the fans before the start of the fourth quarter of the game between the Rockets vs Utah Jazz at Toyota Center. Rockets won 111-102. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-Imagn Images / Thomas B. Shea-Imagn Images
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It's come as no surprise former Houston Rockets guard Vernon Maxwell came to the defense of Amen Thompson earlier this week.

Thompson, who plays for the Rockets now, got into a scuffle with Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro. It ended with Thompson throwing Herro to the ground, resulting in ejections for both players.

Maxwell, who was nicknamed Mad Max during his playing days, loved it.

Here's what he posted on X: "I love me some Amen Thompson. Put his fine on my tab Rockets. And I’ll take care of anyone else’s fine that stands up for their Rockets teammates."

The reaction from Maxwell was expected. He was known for his fiery temper when he played with teams that included the Rockets and San Antonio Spurs from 1988-2001. He once confronted a fan in the stands for heckling. He suspended 10 games and fined $20,000 for the incident. The NBA has yet to hand out punishment for the Herro-Thompson dust-up that also caused Rockets coach Ime Udoka and Jalen Brown to get suspended.

"I love it!!," Maxwell wrote in another post. "Amen teach me some jiu jitsu young fella!"

Maxwell was one of the most fearless players in the league in the 1980s and 1990s because of his attitude. He stuck around so long due to his talent. Maxwell helped the Rockets win back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com