This is former Houston Rockets shooting guard Vernon Maxwell, better known in NBA circles as "Mad Max." His career was highlighted by his ability to hit 3 pointers as much as it was for his ability to create sudden and sometimes uncontrollable outbursts, on and off the court. Being transparent for a moment, he was must see TV in the 1990s, because I knew that every time he was on the tube, there was a chance he was going to do something either really exciting or really crazy. It was that unpredictability that kept me glued. My wife and I were watching "Clutch City" on NBA TV, which chronicled the success of the Houston Rockets' championship teams, and it showed yet another characteristic of Maxwell, one that he would eventually live to regret...pride.
Midway through the 1994-1995 season the Rockets were mired in a slump and traded for Hall of Famer Clyde "The Glide" Drexler. As he and star center Hakeem Olajuwon were celebrating their reunion from their Phi Slamma Jamma days, Maxwell was being sent to the bench in favor of Drexler. He began to sulk and pout and it all came to a head in the first round of the 1995 playoffs. After only playing 5 minutes he decided that he had enough, and left the team's locker room saying that he had enough and was going home. The Rockets had no other recourse than to deactivate him for the remainder of the playoffs. While Maxwell was home, the Rockets celebrated their second title in June of that year.
While watching the documentary, he stated that "leaving the team was the dumbest thing I've ever done in my life." He was right. Often in sports we have seen players who were at their wits end and they make the decision to leave the team. What they don't realize is that they are not just leaving their teammates, they're quitting on everyone who believed in them. There's a saying that goes "the lazy disrespects everyone who believes in them." As a basketball coach I often have to encourage the players that they are not just playing for themselves, but for everyone who goes on that court with them.
We have seen the spirit of pride create such a false sense of security in a person that they make choices not in spirit but in flesh, and it tears them away from the fabric of community. It happened to the church at Corinth, it has happened to great men and women leaders of the faith, and it's happened in families. If we allow pride to seep into our abodes, it can quickly establish domain and divide the home. Maxwell allowed his pride to get the best of him, and ended up watching his team obtain the ultimate accomplishment without him.
Every year I tell the team Proverbs 11:2 "Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."
Pride is something we have to be aware of quickly, for it's as the old saying goes, "Praise is like perfume...okay to smell, deadly to swallow." If we find that we are taking in too much praise of our works, it's time to take a step back, and do what is best for everyone. Although Maxwell eventually made peace with his teammates, his walking out on the team is a reminder of what happens when we put self before others.
Jesus teaches us to be givers, as He was. When you are a giver, you don't have time to take in the spirit of Pride.
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