Utah Jazz fans know all about Vernon Mazwell. Back in the day, Maxwell and the Houston Rockets had their sparring matches with the Jazz in the playoffs. Since then, Maxwell has always had a bone to pick with both Utah and Jazz fans.
I'd like 2 apologize Jazz fans that were offended by my tweets. If I knew u guys had internet in Utah I would've never made those tweets.
— Vernon Maxwell (@VernonMaxwell11) March 9, 2017
So it's not completely out of right field whenever he fires whatever shot he can at the Jazz. The most recent Jazz-related subject he called out is Jazz legend John Stockton. During his appearance on "All the Smoke," Maxwell did not hold back when talking about Stockton playing dirty.
Maxwell called Stockton one of the dirtiest NBA players ever
"Stockton dirty as (expletive). One of the dirtiest players ever in NBA history," Maxwell said. "He is dirty as hell, he is a dog, he is a demon. Just don't look like that," Maxwell claimed.
Both sides knew each other well during Stockton and Maxwell's playing days. The Rockets and Jazz faced off against each other four times in the 1990s (1994, 1995, 1997, 1998), with the Rockets winning the first two series and the Jazz winning the latter two. To be accurate, Maxwell did not play for the Rockets when the Jazz beat them in the late-90s.
For the record, this isn't the first time Stockton has been called dirty. It's been endlessly debated if he fit that mold. He was definitely a scrappy player during his heyday. That meant he could get physical to the point where his antics were arguably excessive.
Note that some of these plays might be hard to watch and aren't for the squeemish.
The bottom line is that Stockton did everything he could to make the Jazz a winner. Whether it was seen as dirty or not depended on who was asked. Jazz fans shouldn't take it personally if Stockton is seen as dirty because other all-time players also committed some rather excessive actions.
Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul also developed a reputation for being dirty players when they were at the top of their game. It doesn't detract from the fact that, like Stockton, they wanted to win, which helped make them among the best to ever do it, regardless, again, much like Stockton.
Is it all dirty? Well, it's debatable, but what's not is that whatever harmful actions they may have caused were for the love of the game. Different players have different approaches in that regard. Some opt to get a little physical while others talk trash.
Maxwell is entitled to his opinion about Stockton's approach to the game, and plenty will agree with him. Disagree or not, the Jazz legend simply just wanted to make opponents hate having to face him when he took the floor. No matter what that took.