Vernon Maxwell has never been one to back down from a story, especially when it involves a little trash talk. Sure, he admitted Magic Johnson got the best of him, but he’s not about to let everyone run with only one side of the tale. And if you know anything about Maxwell, you know he will set the record straight in the most unfiltered way possible.
Just last week, Maxwell posted a clip on Instagram that took fans right back to his infamous run-in with Magic. The clip featured former Lakers star Byron Scott giving a play-by-play of the whole thing, and let’s just say, Maxwell might have written a check he couldn’t cash.
Scott recalled how Maxwell confidently claimed he could guard Johnson. You can imagine how that went over in a locker room full of guys who had seen Magic’s greatness firsthand. “Maxwell said he could guard him [Johnson]… So me and Coop said, ‘Buck, did you hear what he just said?’ We made sure Buck heard him. Buck said, ‘No, no, no — I heard him, I heard him,’” Scott shared, likely with a knowing smile.
Magic didn’t attack right away, though. No, he played the long game, letting Maxwell believe he had things under control before flipping the switch in the fourth quarter. And when he did? It was textbook Magic. The skyhook? Unstoppable. The drop-steps? Effortless. Maxwell had no answer. And when he finally swallowed his pride and called for help, Johnson made sure he felt every bit of that mistake. As Scott put it, “Buck got the ball and said, ‘No, no, no — you don’t need no help. Is that what you said?’” before scoring on him again.
Now, Maxwell isn’t denying that any of that happened. But in true Mad Max fashion, he’s got something to say about what went down afterward.
“Hey, that’s a real true story. But on the flip side, though, now I gotta tell it’s two sides all this,” Maxwell said. “I was gone his big a–. And they. Yeah, he did put me down that post. Y’all saying he did block the little shot. But normally, Magic, after they score, when Magic throw that goddamn hook on me, when they score, Magic a–, they cross guard. Bam. You got coming to me. And Magic running over there to Kenny. And Magic getting out the way of this problems. Cause he knows I was gonna come back at his a–.”
In other words, Magic may have dominated him offensively, but according to Maxwell, he wanted no part of the battle on the other end. “Hey, Magic, you want no problems on defense… Magic Big a– couldn’t move his feet. Now, I love him. I love casual defense… He’s slow now. Cement Boots.”
This, however, should come as no surprise, as Johnson was never known to be an elite defender.
Magic Johnson’s defensive stats clearly outline his defensive shortcomings
Johnson’s legacy is built on his unmatched playmaking and leadership, but when it comes to defense, the numbers tell a different story. There’s a general belief that strong defenders will rack up blocks and steals, but Magic’s stats don’t exactly back that up.
Shot-blocking was never his strength. With a block percentage of just 0.6 percent, he doesn’t even make the top 250 in NBA history. That’s surprising for a player of his size at point guard, but the truth is, he was never much of a rim protector. Despite his height advantage, he wasn’t swatting shots or making opponents think twice about attacking the paint.
However, steals were a different story. Magic Johnson led the league in total steals twice early on, but here’s the catch—he never led in steal percentage, which actually measures how often a player forces a turnover. His career steal percentage of 2.46 percent lands him 68th all-time. So, while he wasn’t an elite defensive menace, he could still pick a pocket when it mattered. So Mad Max could be just as right when he says Johnson was trying to avoid him on the defensive end.
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