Imagine spending just two years in the league and being placed above Michael Jordan. There would hardly be any player to have displayed such proficiency in such a short period of time. However, former Houston Rockets star, Vernon Maxwell, has a name on his mind. The discussion started on a recent episode of All The Smoke podcast when Maxwell was asked about the most underrated players.
The first name that popped into his head? Drazen Petrovic. “I’m trying to tell you, that m———– gave me nightmares…” Maxwell admitted. Now, when a guy who’s gone up against MJ himself says something like that, you know it means something. But what made Petrovc such a problem? Maxwell spelled it out:
“He’s bigger than me, so I’m six, four… And he come off that m———– shooting… I mean, never seen nothing like before… I’d rather Black Jesus, Michael Jordan… That’s how bad it was for me… This m———– used to give me buckets. I used to be so frustrated. I couldn’t stop this m———–… You can’t give this m———– an inch both ways.”
But Maxwell wasn’t just throwing around praise for no reason. Anyone who watched Petrovic in his prime knows just how lethal he was. He didn’t need much space, and once he got his shot off, it was almost automatic. And it wasn’t just the shooting—it was his entire offensive package.
“You know how the m———– in Europe, they got all that… Triple threat. He had that … Oh, man, he’s f— you up with that… He’s killing my a– with that. My a– just jumping all over everywhere when he do that to me,” Maxwell explained on All the Smoke.
For those unaware, Petrovic was one of the most hyped European players of his generation. The Croatian sharpshooter was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1986 but didn’t make his NBA debut until the 1989-90 season due to Cold War-era tensions between the U.S. and Eastern Europe.
And even when he finally arrived, Portland didn’t use him properly, sticking him in a limited role as a spot-up shooter with barely eight minutes per game. That wasn’t going to work for a guy like Petrovic. He forced a trade, and when he got to the New Jersey Nets, that’s when he really started torching defenders like Maxwell.
“You know how them m———– in Europe, they got all that triple threat s—,” Maxwell added. “Oh my goodness, he was killing my a with that. I was just jumping all over everywhere when he’d do that s— to me.”
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – CIRCA 1993: Drazen Petrovic #3 of the New Jersey Nets goes in for a layup against the Chicago Bulls during an NBA basketball game circa 1993 at the Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Petrovic played for the Nets from 1991-93. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Drazen Petrovic
And the numbers backed it up. In New Jersey, Petrovic averaged over 20 points per game while shooting over 44 percent from three. He was on his way to becoming one of the NBA’s greatest international stars. But just as he was reaching his peak, tragedy struck. In 1993, Petrovic died in a car accident in Germany.
But even with his short time in the league, Drazen earned his place in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. And now, thanks to Maxwell, he’s earned something even more unique—being ranked ahead of Michael Jordan in at least one defender’s nightmare list. But don’t get it twisted—Maxwell wasn’t downplaying MJ.
Mad Max was sleepless and anxious ahead of his debut game against Michael Jordan
Vernon Maxwell never backed down from a challenge, but even he wasn’t immune to the pressure of guarding Michael Jordan. In fact, just thinking about it was enough to keep him up all night. Imagine knowing you’re about to defend the most ruthless scorer in NBA history—how much sleep do you think you’d get?
When Maxwell sat down with Theo Pinson on his podcast last year, he didn’t sugarcoat just how anxious he felt before his first showdown with Jordan. The weight of that moment was real.
“No sleep the night before because I was like anxious and nervous… I was playing against the best player ever and you can get embarrassed cuz this m———– put his feet on your throat and don’t take it off. He is going to try to embarrass your a–,” Maxwell admitted.
And yet, despite running on no sleep, he did what most defenders struggled to do—he held Jordan to 23 points on 45 percent shooting. If nothing else, it proved that even with zero rest, he was still one of the toughest defenders in the league. So what he has to say about the toughest player he guarded has to hold some value, even if it means snubbing Michael Jordan.
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