Few things in the NBA remain as consistent as Vernon Maxwell’s deep-seated hatred for Utah. So, it was hardly a surprise when Mad Max’s recent pick for one of the dirtiest players in league history came from the Utah Jazz. What followed was a chain of events that led Matt Barnes to resurface some of Maxwell’s most brutal shots at Utah, putting a fresh spotlight on his long-standing feud with the fanbase.
During a recent episode of All the Smoke, Barnes unearthed a tweet from Maxwell that had been gathering dust for nearly eight years but still packed the same punch. Reading it aloud, he said, “I’d like to apologize to the Jazz fans that were offended by my tweet. If I knew you guys had the Internet in Utah, I would have never made those tweets.” Classic Maxwell—sarcastic, unapologetic, and right on brand with his long-running war against Jazz fans.
Now, it’s no secret that Utah’s fanbase has a reputation. Ask around the league, and you’ll find plenty of players who consider them one of the most toxic crowds to play in front of. But if there’s one NBA veteran who has made it his personal mission to call them out at every turn, it’s Vernon Maxwell. While he doesn’t seem to have a personal vendetta against the Jazz organization itself, his beef with their fans is as real as it gets. And he’s got the receipts to prove it.
Matt Barnes didn’t stop at just one tweet. Another old Maxwell post resurfaced, where he took his Utah slander up a notch: “I’d rather be stuck in traffic in LA than have courtside seats in Utah.” Let’s be real—most people would do just about anything for courtside seats at an NBA game. But for Maxwell? Sitting in bumper-to-bumper Los Angeles gridlock apparently sounds like a better time than watching a game in Salt Lake City.
The 2x NBA champ’s hate for Utah isn’t just a thing of the past, either. Just last year, after the Houston Rockets edged out the Jazz in a 101-100 thriller, Maxwell couldn’t resist taking another shot at the fanbase. “Tell their as*es use as muuuuuuuuuuch Wi-Fi as they can in that arena to cry about that loss. I know they don’t have none once they walk out of there,” he posted.
Clearly, if there’s a chance to roast Utah, Maxwell is going to take it—no hesitation. No wonder Matt Barnes kept the receipts rolling, pulling up yet another tweet from Vernon Maxwell’s war chest. “Remember, no matter how bad things may seem, at least you’re not in Dallas. And for my Dallas people, at least you’re not in Utah.”
But for all the jokes and jabs, there’s a deeper story behind Maxwell’s hatred for Utah. Back in 2021, while speaking on The Rex Chapman Show, he opened up about the brutal treatment he endured while playing in Salt Lake City. “The people out there, they abused me. Talk about my mama, my grandma, talk about the stillborn; they call me the N-word. You see what they did to Ja Morant and his mom and dad,” Mad Max shared.
That kind of treatment sticks with a person, and for Maxwell, it seems to have fueled a lifelong grudge against Utah fans.
Vernon Maxwell’s pick for the dirtiest play in NBA history came from the Utah Jazz
John Stockton’s name is synonymous with elite point guard play, and for good reason. But if you ask some of the guys who went toe-to-toe with him, you’ll hear a very different story. Among them is Vernon Maxwell, who didn’t hesitate to call Stockton a dirty player—one of the dirtiest, in fact.
Mad Max recently sat down on All The Smoke and got straight to the point when asked about Stockton. Respect? Sure, he had that. But he couldn’t ignore what he saw as one of the sneakiest players the game has ever seen. “Stockton dirty as fu*k. One of the dirtiest players ever in NBA history… he is dirty as hell, he is a dog, he is a demon. Just don’t look like that,” Maxwell explained.
And let’s be real—the Utah Jazz of the ’90s weren’t exactly known for playing soft. With Stockton and Karl Malone leading the charge and guys like Jeff Hornacek, Greg Ostertag, Bryon Russell, and Antoine Carr backing them up, they built a reputation as one of the grittiest teams in NBA history.
They may have never won a championship, but nobody who played against them walked away thinking it was an easy night. And the alleged toxic fanbase only made it tougher for the opposing stars. No wonder Vernon Maxwell has had extreme hatred against the Utah Fans.
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