Mad Nice

VERNON MAXWELL was known for his…let’s call it fierceness. But what can’t be ignored is that the Houston Rockets legend and two-time NBA champion was one hell of a hooper.

- Donnell Suggs

THE man once known as “Mad Max” isn’t very mad these days— in fact, he’s quite happy, especially on the course. “I think golf has settled me down,” says Vernon Maxwell, who admitted to playing “up to four times a week” during a phone interview. The guy who once ran into the stands in San Antonio to get in touch with a particularly rowdy fan now finds other ways to deal with stress. “[Golf], that’s my relaxation. It’s what I enjoy doing.”

From 1988 to 2001 Maxwell enjoyed playing basketball for 10 NBA teams while garnering a reputation for confrontation and, above all else, winning. Everywhere he played the team was made better by his presence, if not in the locker room then definitely on the court.

A Gainesville, FL, native, Maxwell was destined to play for legendary former NC State and then University of Florida coach Norm Sloan and the Gators. An all-state, All-American caliber recruit coming out of Buchholz High School, Maxwell had his choice of high-level programs but those schools would have had to be within driving distance to land the 6-4 guard. Even some of the game’s best collegiate coaches couldn’t get the versatile scorer away from his momma’s cooking.

“I probably made my decision when I got on my first ever flight to Raleigh [North Carolina],” Maxwell says. He had been en route to visiting the reigning NCAA champion NC State Wolfpack and their enigmatic head coach Jim Valvano. Valvano was only 37 years old when he led the Cinderella “Cardiac Pack” to the NCAA title in 1983 and even before that was regarded as one of the nation’s best recruiters. “The flight was probably an hour and a half, but it felt like forever,” Maxwell says.

Valvano and the Pack didn’t close the deal. NC State’s loss was Florida’s gain.