There are some things that run deeper than the loyalty towards the franchise you won won two chips for. And that’s a raging need to troll Utah and the Jazz fanbase. What San Antonio is to Charles Barkley and what Utah is to Shaquille O’Neal, Utah also has a sworn nemesis in Vernon “Mad Max” Maxwell. He’s heavily invested in the Houston Rockets series against the Los Angeles Lakers but his legendary disdain is with the Utah Jazz. Even though they have nothing to do with the series, got fined for not making enough effort to be in the postseason even, Mad Max found a way to drag them in.

As the Rockets face a high-stakes Game 6 against the Lakers, the 2x NBA champion has put his money where his mouth is, albeit with a characteristically stinging twist. Taking to X (his favorite medium to annoy Utah since 2017 at least), Maxwell announced a massive five-figure pledge tied to the outcome of the Rockets’ current playoff series.

“If my Rockets lose Game 6, I will personally donate 10k worth of deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo and soap to Salt Lake Shitty, Utah in an effort to improve their personal hygiene,” Maxwell tweeted. The post immediately went viral, with Maxwell leaning into the chaos by reposting several funny responses from fans, both agreeing with him and even some angry Utah fans who are conceding to his humor.

While it’s another way for him to get under Utah’s skin, the wager highlights Maxwell’s unwavering loyalty to Houston, a city where he remains a beloved figure for his role in the 1994 and 1995 championship runs. He has no intention of honoring this wager, mostly because he’s confident his team is going to beat LeBron James’ Lakers.

Even when facing a personal snub, his “Clutch City” allegiance doesn’t waver. On April 28, during the ongoing series, he noted, “First time in 10 seasons I wasn’t invited back to be a guest for the Rockets but you know I’m Clutch City for life. They will win tonight, and even if they don’t at least our season lasted longer than Utah’s.”

To be fair, after the way the first three games went, no one expected the series would go beyond Game 4. And it wouldn’t have warranted bringing Max home to potentially see the Rockets get swept. But after the plot twist in the last two games, fans are rallying to bring Max over in Game 6 which the Rockets are hoping to tie the series.

Rockets’ Vernon Maxwell vs Utah, a historical rivalry

While the donation pledge is framed as a charitable bet, the choice of recipient and the specific items promised is a direct continuation of one of the longest-running feuds in NBA history. Vernon Maxwell’s beef with Utah is the stuff of legend, a rivalry that began during his playing days when the Rockets and the Utah Jazz were frequent postseason foes though the latter didn’t make it this time.

The feud began the same way. The Utah Jazz fanbase notoriously got personal with opposing players. Russell Westbrook has had his own heated exchanges in this city. Shaq too counts it among the cities he hated. And the entire Beehive State’s entire loathing for Michael Jordan is still deep as it was then.

When the Rockets played here in the ’90s, Max didn’t like his loved ones getting heckled. “I can’t stand them MFers,” he recently told Lakers legend Byron Scott on his podcast in his signature expletive-heavy language. “Those MFers harassed the s— out of me so bad up there, man. I mean, that was one trip, I said to the NBA, ‘I could no stand to go on that damn road trip to Utah… All they do is talk about my mama, my grandparents, my f—ing kids, MFers talk about me.”

In recent years, Maxwell has used social media Utah’s energy, and turned into a form of performance art. His digital trail is littered with jabs at the state’s culture, athleticism, and even its technological literacy. Some of his best hits include:

The “Internet” Apology: He once sarcastically tweeted, “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.” He has it pinned on the top of his page since 2017.

The SAT Dig: He previously joked that the average SAT score in the United States would rise by 300 points if Utah’s scores were excluded.

Athletic Clinics: In February 2025, he mocked the state’s talent pool, posting about doing a basketball clinic with “the most unathletic kids in the country.”

Lifestyle Comparisons: He frequently claims he could play a full 18 holes of golf or run a marathon after a game in Utah because the state’s nightlife is so non-existent that he always felt fully rested. It’s something Shaq’s claimed too.

By promising to donate hygiene products, Maxwell is doubling down on his long-standing trope that the region is backwards or unrefined. Whether the Rockets win or lose, Maxwell has ensured that “Mad Max” is once again the most talked-about name in the rivalry, proving that even decades after his final championship ring, he is still finding ways to score points against Utah.