The nickname "Mad Max" was bestowed upon Maxwell by color commentators for his clutch three-point shooting, which reached its pinnacle in the deciding game of the 1994 NBA Finals between Houston and New York.

Maxwell is among just nine players in NBA history to amass 30 points in a single quarter, accomplishing that feat en route to a 51-point outing on January 26, 1991, against Cleveland.

[2][3] On June 28, 1988, Maxwell was drafted into the NBA by the Denver Nuggets, who traded him the same day to the San Antonio Spurs for a second-round pick the next year.

[6] On February 6, 1995, Maxwell went into the stands in a road game against the Portland Trail Blazers and punched a fan that had allegedly made racial comments and derogatory remarks about the player's stillborn daughter.

[14] In August 1995, Maxwell was charged with and convicted of misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance after Houston police reportedly found marijuana in his vehicle during a traffic stop.

[15] He would later file appeals to overturn his conviction, but was forced to surrender himself to Houston authorities in April 1998 after the United States Supreme Court refused to hear his case.

[16] In February 1996, Maxwell was ordered by a court to pay $592,000 to Sheila Rias after failing to respond to her lawsuit alleging him of knowingly infecting her with herpes in 1995.

[17] In the summer of 1996, Maxwell took his eight-year-old son, Dominique, to Shands Hospital for a blood test in the hopes of refuting paternity.