“I Was Hurt That Day”: Vernon Maxwell Reveals How Rudy Tomjanovic Decision Made Him Leave Hakeem Olajuwon-Led Rockets

Vernon Maxwell was a key part of the Houston Rockets’ 1993–94 championship run. In that playoff stretch, he averaged 13.8 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.5 rebounds across 23 games. In the Finals, he held steady with 13.4 points per game and was known for hitting big shots in tight moments.

Maxwell firmly believed that the level of performance deserved respect, especially from the organization he helped reach the top. But the following season, things started to feel different. The Rockets brought in Clyde Drexler midseason, a Hall of Famer and a player Maxwell deeply respected.

So, when he was asked to come off the bench behind Drexler, he didn’t complain. He accepted the role shift. But he expected clarity and acknowledgment for his past contributions. Then came Game 1 of the 1995 playoffs. The Rockets were facing the Utah Jazz.

Rudy Tomjanovic barely played Maxwell during the game, and that already didn’t sit well with him. “Rudy T didn’t even call my name,” Maxwell said on Byron Scott’s Fast Break. Then, in the closing moments, with three seconds remaining, Rudy suddenly called on Maxwell to take the game-tying shot. He admitted he didn’t even have the intention to make the shot.

He just shot the ball and prayed for it not to go in. Maxwell felt like the coach was “trying” him. “I wanted to kill Rudy T. and Rudy T., you know I respect you and I love you so much, man, but I was hurt that day. You hurt my feelings real bad that day,” Maxwell said.

When the team returned to the locker room, he was livid, like a bomb going off, emotionally, mentally. The anger spilled out fast and loud.

After that night, Rudy tried to talk him into staying. But for Maxwell, the damage had already been done. He wasn’t just upset about the minutes. It was about feeling dismissed after doing so much for the franchise the previous year.

The Rockets went on to win back-to-back titles, with Maxwell still on the roster. But he was no longer a contributing member of the team. The same year, he left Houston to join the Philadelphia 76ers.