Vernon Maxwell is known for his notorious hatred of the Utah Jazz. After Utah dropped game 6, Maxwell incited Donovan Mitchell to leave the team.
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Maxwell has a history with Utah, with his pinned Tweet calling out the state as underdeveloped, not even having internet.
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
Why does the former Rockets star have such a vile hatred against the Jazz and Utah in general? Well, it seems like he actually has some valid reasoning and explanation to that. For now, his series of Tweets after Utah choked a 25 point lead in game 6, choking a 2-0 series lead to a Clippers team without Kawhi was entertaining to look at.
Vernon Maxwell Trolls Jazz After Game 6 Loss, Tells Donovan Mitchell To Leave The Team, Why Does Vernon Maxwell Hate The Jazz So Much?
In case you missed it, here are some of the Tweets Maxwell sent out following Utah’s loss:
Best record in the league. Blowing a 25 point lead. I feel for you Utah. And to help ease the pain I’m offering Vernon Maxwell jerseys to all Utah residents at half off. You are welcome.
— Vernon Maxwell (@VernonMaxwell11) June 19, 2021
My heart goes out to the Utah players especially Donovan Mitchell who is a class act. One of the few guys who makes his shoes affordable. You deserve to be in a better place. Houston, Charlotte, Philly, Zimbabwe, hell even OKC.
— Vernon Maxwell (@VernonMaxwell11) June 19, 2021
So, why does he do this? Is there some longstanding vendetta he has with Jazz fans? As it turns out, the answer to that is actually yes.
Maxwell said that his reasoning for the constant dissing and mocking is because of the racism he encountered as a member of the Houston Rockets when he played in Utah. He said:
“I’ve thought about stuff I’ve said about Utah because their fans were just so racist to me when I was out there. hen they walk by people would spit on you. There are so many bad memories about Utah. I know it’s a long time ago, but I’m like an elephant. I don’t forget shit.”
When you think about it, Maxwell’s comments do make sense. Jazz fans have a history of confrontations with NBA players. In 2019, a Jazz fan directed several derogatory and racist comments towards Russell Westbrook. That fan was banned.
In 2018, another fan kept referring to Westbrook as “boy” in the playoffs, earning that fan a ban as well. When Donovan Mitchell posted something about Juneteenth (the celebration of the day when slavery was abolished), Jazz fans reacted with hate and anger in the comments.
However, not all of Maxwell’s Tweets have flown over so well. After Anti-Asian hate crimes earlier this year in Utah, many people seemed to call Maxwell out for his “Stop the hate on Asians, continue to hate Utah instead” tweet, saying he was trying to leverage a horrific situation for social media clout.
However, Maxwell still continues to believe he’s justified in what he does:
“You farm animals from Utah like to say y’all livin rent free in my head & it’s true. Each time I played there for 13 seasons I was insulted, called racial slurs, got spat on. Threaten my kids lives. So yea rent free. It’s the worst place in the world to play at.”
