Athletes and referees being at loggerheads is a common phenomenon. In rare cases, it’s long-term feuds like the one between Chris Paul and Scott Foster. However, Vernon Maxwell has an almost one-of-a-kind rivalry with referee Steve Javie. The retired NBA star still harbors resentment towards the retired official, despite last playing in the league more than two decades ago.
Advertisement
On the latest episode of the MaXed Out podcast, Maxwell spoke about his disdain for Javie. Rasheed Wallace, a guest on the episode, revealed former NBA Commissioner David Stern had an email network with referees to discuss players that caused issues on the court.
The Pistons icon claimed officials would deliberately target certain stars after their discussion. Maxwell then chimed in with his issues with Javie. He revealed that then-Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich warned him to be on his best behavior when the now-retired referee was part of the officiating crew.
Javie is now an in-game analyst for ESPN and every time he shows up on his screen, Maxwell is enraged thinking about the decisions that went against him with him in charge. He told Wallace,
“Steve Javie that was my guy. Rudy T every time before he’ll look at the refs, ‘God damn Max, you gotta watch your boy in this motherf**ker. Steve Javie. Oh my goodness, I can’t stand motherf**ker. I see him doing that on NBA TV with the TV games, when they call bad calls, they go to him, I’m like I want to punch that motherf**ker.”
The former Pistons star also called out Javie and claimed he lost his officiating job because he was named in the Tim Donaghy scandal. In 2008, Donaghy was slapped with a 15-month prison sentence after he confessed to fixing games for bettors. Wallace seemingly suggested that Javie quit his job due to the accusations.
However, there’s no evidence to suggest he was involved in the match-fixing ring. Javie was not among those named in the betting scandal. Donaghy did mention him in his statements but it was about his feud with Allen Iverson. During the 2006-07 season, the Hall of Fame guard gave Javie death threats during a game, prompting other officials to take revenge.
He also retired in 2011, three years after Donaghy’s revelations, and joined ESPN. It is unclear why Wallace ascertained that he was forced out of his job or quit due to the match-fixing scandal. Regardless, Maxwell is incensed every time Javie shows up on screen. The memories of the calls that went against him come gushing back, leaving him infuriated.
