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Vernon Maxwell On Fight With Hakeem Olajuwon: `He Slapped The (Bleep) Out Of Me

Shandel Richardson

Oct 28, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; NBA Hall of Fame member Hakeem Olajuwon watches the game between the Houston Rockets and the Utah Jazz at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Oct 28, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; NBA Hall of Fame member Hakeem Olajuwon watches the game between the Houston Rockets and the Utah Jazz at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
In this story:

Former player Vernon Maxwell was known as a tough guy who had a short temper during his playing days.

Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon was more of a gentle giant unless you ticked him off.

Maxwell got to see that side. The two were teammates with the Houston Rockets in the early 1990s, winning back-to-back titles in `94 and `95. During an appearance on the All The Smoke podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, Maxwell told the story of how he got into it with Olajuwon in the locker room.

"We was in Seattle," Maxwell said. "I'm having a bad first half, so I'm mad."

At one point, Maxwell is complaining about not getting the ball enough. That's when Olajuwon tried to calm "Mad Max."

Maxwell then basically told Olajuwon to mind his business

"I shouldn't have said that," Maxwell said. "He came in and put his hands on me. He slapped the (bleep) out of me ... Damn near killed me."

MAGIC REACTS TO BUZZER-BEATER

NBA great Magic Johnson was among those to react to Michigan State's dramatic victory on the road against Maryland Wednesday.

The Spartans won on a halfcourt, buzzer-beater by Tre Holloman. Johnson, who led Michigan State to a championship in 1979, was obviously thrilled with the shot.

Here's what Johnson posted on social media: "Tre Holloman hit a half court shot to seal the victory for my Spartans over Maryland on the road and I just started jumping up and screaming like a little kid. This is their third win in a row over a ranked opponent!"

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA. 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