Gary Payton and Vernon Maxwell once indulged in one of the most infamous fights of the NBA. And this was despite the fact the two were not just teammates in Seattle SuperSonics, but also good friends. The incident that goes back to 2000 gained all the media attention back then. However, not much was spoken from either side as the two went back to being normal teammates from the very next game against San Antonio Spurs. But as the years have passed, the two stars have shared their own versions of the story. In a recent episode of Gil’s Arena, Maxwell revealed that Payton has been spreading a “lie”.

Maxwell alleged that Payton lied when he was on TNT where he told Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Ernie Johnson about beating him. “Hey, Gary, I don’t even do this sh*t no more..But I swear to God, I’ll beat y’all mo***rf***er. Little fat a**. You big gut mo***rf***er. You better stop talking so much…” Maxwell warned Payton on the podcast.

It is worth mentioning Maxwell was known for his ferocious nature and never backed down from a confrontation. And he did not seem to care much for the opponent, as his altercations with Michael Jordan have also been quite popular. In fact, during a Houston Rockets reunion event, he told media persons he “wanted to fight him (MJ), really”. The 2x NBA champ did not earn his name ‘Mad Max’ for nothing.

Narrating his own version of the Gary Payton story, Maxwell recalled it all started after Payton elbowed Shammond Williams so hard during the practice session that the latter started bleeding. An infuriated Maxwell told Payton to try something similar to him. After The Glove accidentally tripped him, he lost it and beat the 9x All-Star left and right, as claimed by Vernon.

However, even after being separated, the fight once again broke out later in the locker room. Maxwell claimed Payton tried throwing a chair at him and he tried beating the 9x All-Star with a 5-pound Dumbell. Amid all of this, the 2x NBA champ mistakenly hurt Horace Grant’s shoulder. As a result, Grant had to sit out for the next few games. But the 1996 Stats Leader has a different story to tell.

“I tried to hit him with a weight”: Gary Payton’s version of his fight with Maxwell

During an appearance on VLAD TV in 2022, The Glove called himself similar to Maxwell and claimed that he and Mad Max hung out the same way and clashed the same way. “When you have two guys who are the same, when they clash, somebody’s gonna have to give,” Payton said.

But it seems none of them was ready to give in that day and thus the inevitable happened. However, in his narration of the entire incident, Payton never admitted to Maxwell beating him up. In fact, he claimed it was he who used the weights in an attempt to hit the 2x NBA champ. But the conclusion of even Payton’s version was the same: ‘Grant getting hit unintentionally’.

“I didn’t want to hurt my beautiful hands..Then Horace Grant comes over, steps in and I accidentally hit him in the head with this weight, busted his head open,” Payton revealed. The only common factor in the two stories is Grant Horace missing out on the next few games. Now, maybe it’s only up to Grant to reveal the real version of the entire story.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.