Gary Payton
Encyclopedia
Gary Dwayne Payton is a former American
professional basketball point guard
. He is best known for his 13-year tenure with the Seattle SuperSonics
, and holds Seattle franchise records in points, assists, and steals. He has also played with the Milwaukee Bucks
, Los Angeles Lakers
, Boston Celtics
and Miami Heat
, the last with whom he won an NBA Championship.
The only point guard ever to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, Payton is widely considered one of the greatest of all time at that position. He was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team nine times, an NBA record he shares with Michael Jordan
, Kevin Garnett
and Kobe Bryant
. Payton got his nickname "The Glove" when Payton's cousin called him during the 1993 Western Conference
Finals series against Phoenix
and told him, "you're holding Kevin Johnson
like a baseball
in a glove
," and the nickname was born.
Considered the "NBA's reigning high scorer among point guards" in his prime, Payton is referred to as "probably as complete a guard as there ever was" by NBA Hall of Famer Gail Goodrich
.
. He played high school
basketball at Skyline High School
in Oakland, California
, along with former NBA player Greg Foster
, before attending Oregon State University
in Corvallis, Oregon
. In his sophomore year, his grades plummeted and was declared academically ineligible. His dad encouraged him to focus on school, and he was allowed to play again. Throughout his four-year career at OSU, he became one of the most decorated basketball players in OSU history. During his senior year, Payton was featured on the March 5, 1990 cover of Sports Illustrated
magazine as the nation's best college basketball player. He was a consensus All-America
n in 1990; three-time All-Pac-10 selection, and named the Pac-10 conference's 1987 Freshman of the Year. He was the MVP of the Far West Classic tournament three times and was the Pac-10 Player of the Week nine times. He also was named to the Pac-10's All-Decade Team. At the time of his graduation, he held the school record for points, field goal
s, three-point field goals, assist
s, and steals
— the only record which he still holds today. During his career at OSU, the Beavers made three NCAA Tournament appearances and one NIT
appearance. He was elected into OSU's Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.
by the Seattle SuperSonics
, and spent his first 12½ seasons with the Sonics. Entering the league to star-studded expectations, Payton struggled during his first two seasons in the league, averaging 8.2 points per game during that span. However, he soon proved himself to be one of the league's top point guards, while, during the 90s Payton, alongside Shawn Kemp
formed the "Sonic Boom" – one of the most thrilling tandems of all time. He earned his first of 9 consecutive All-NBA team selections when he was chosen to the All-NBA Third team in 1994. Payton would go on to make the All-NBA First-Team in 1998 and 2000, All-NBA Second Team in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2002, and All-NBA Third Team in 1994 and 2001. He was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team a record nine consecutive seasons (1994–2002), and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award
in 1996, the first guard to have won the award in 8 years. He has been selected to the NBA All-Star Team nine times and was voted as a starter in 1997 and 1998. He was a member of the gold medal-winning 1996
and 2000
U.S. Men's Olympic Basketball Teams. In 1996, Payton and the SuperSonics, under coach George Karl
, reached the NBA Finals
after winning a franchise record 64 games and lost in six games to Michael Jordan
's Chicago Bulls
. In the middle of the 2002–03 season
at the trade deadline, Payton was sent to the Milwaukee Bucks
in a five-player deal that sent Ray Allen
to Seattle. Payton played the remaining 28 games with the Bucks. As an unrestricted free agent prior to the 2003–04
season, Payton, along with Karl Malone
, signed with the Los Angeles Lakers
to make a run at the NBA Championship. Despite injuries to Malone, Shaquille O'Neal
, and Kobe Bryant
during the regular season, the Lakers won 56 games and the Pacific Division. The Lakers then beat Houston
, San Antonio
, and Minnesota
on the way to the Finals, where they lost to Detroit
four games to one.
Prior to the 2004–05 season
, the Lakers traded Payton and Rick Fox
to the Boston Celtics
for center Chris Mihm
, small forward Jumaine Jones
and point guard Chucky Atkins
. While Payton expressed displeasure with the trade, he ultimately did report to Boston and began the 2004–05 season as the Celtics' starting point guard. On February 24, 2005 Payton was traded to the Atlanta Hawks
in a deal that brought former Celtic Antoine Walker
back to Boston. The Hawks then waived Payton immediately following the trade, and he returned a week later to Boston as a free agent
. Payton started all 77 games he played for the Celtics and they won the Atlantic Division
before losing in the first round to the Indiana Pacers
.
On September 22, 2005, he signed a one-year $1.1 million contract with Miami, reuniting with Walker (who was acquired seven weeks earlier by the Heat), as well as former Lakers' teammate Shaquille O'Neal
. Payton finally won his first NBA Championship in his sixteenth season in the league when, on June 20, 2006, the Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks
in game six of the 2006 NBA Finals
for a four to two series victory. Payton hit two crucial shots in that series: a game-winning shot in game three that ignited the Heat's comeback in the series (after being down 0–2) and, in game five, the Heat's final field goal in a one-point victory.
On September 6, 2006, the 38-year old Payton re-signed with the defending champion Miami Heat on a one-year, $1.2 million contract. During the subsequent 2006-07 NBA season
, Payton continued to climb up several NBA all-time lists: he moved from 17th to 8th in all-time NBA games played, passed John Havlicek
and Robert Parish
to move into 7th in all-time minutes played, and passed Hal Greer
and Larry Bird
to become the 21st-highest scorer in NBA history.
. His trademark open-mouth, bobbing-head style on the court (combined with his 17 years in the league) led to Payton receiving the third-most technical foul
s of all time (behind Jerry Sloan
and Rasheed Wallace
). This, along with other factors, earned Payton a reputation as a difficult, volatile, and somewhat egotistical presence in the locker room, which was further fueled by various fines and suspensions handed out to him by team management during Payton's last few years in Seattle.
However, Payton became much less volatile in his later years, and many players, including Shaquille O'Neal
and Antoine Walker
, have greatly enjoyed playing with Payton. In Los Angeles, Boston, and Miami, he was recognized as a psychological leader and mentor for many of the younger players. Of his trash talking, Payton has stated "I never take it too far...I just try to talk and get their mind off the game, and turn their attention on me", adding that "sometimes I get accused of trash talking even though I'm not...[referees and spectators] immediately figure you're trash talking. But I could be talking to a guy about what's going on or asking about his family." One of Payton's major beliefs is that "mental toughness" is as much a part of the game as on-court play. In addition, All-Star point guard Jason Kidd
has referred to Payton as a "mentor" for the way he treated Kidd growing up in the same neighborhood of Oakland. Payton has said that his own mental toughness was developed in his days learning to play basketball in Oakland: "You learned that you can be friends before the game and after the game. But once the game starts, it's all about business. No jive."
Payton has appeared in many movies and television shows, and in 2001, gave a humorous, televised "motivational speech" to his team during the NBA All-Star Game
.
, who played with hall of fame guard Jerry West
, said "Gary Payton is probably as complete a guard as there ever was." Legendary point guard Kevin Johnson
considers Payton "certainly...amongst the best ever" and "just as intimidating...maybe even more so than all-time greats Magic Johnson
, Isiah Thomas
, Tiny Archibald and Maurice Cheeks
." When asked to classify the best players in each position of the late 1990s and early 21st century, NBA coach George Karl
said of Payton, "I don't know who else you'd take at point guard. Some say Jason Kidd
. Well, every time Gary went nose-to-nose with Kidd, Gary won that matchup."
Payton's all-time rankings for points (31st) and assists (8th) highlight the tremendous offensive contributions he made throughout his career, but he is most widely recognized for his defensive contributions. The Sporting News said in 2000 that Payton was "building a case as the best two-way point guard in history", and asked "If you weigh offense and defense equally, is Payton the best ever?"
When comparing Payton to the all-time greats, it has been said that "Payton arguably is the best defender of them all, and his offensive game is better than most."
His defensive prowess was once described by Kevin Johnson
:
Offensively, Payton was not a particularly strong shooter but was much more physical than most point guards of his era, preferring to use his 6'4 body frame and strength to shield defenders on his way to the basket or posting up his opponent in an isolation play. Nonetheless, in his prime, Payton was the "NBA's reigning high scorer among point guards."
He is the only guard to have won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award since Michael Jordan in 1988. Also, he, Jordan and Kobe Bryant
share the record for most career NBA All-Defensive First Team selections, with 9. He is currently third all-time in career steals. A strong all-around player, Payton also ranks fifth all-time among guards in defensive rebounds, 12th in offensive rebounds, and 10th in total rebounds for a guard. Among players considered point guard
s, Payton ranks 3rd in defensive rebounds, 5th in offensive rebounds, and 4th in total rebounds, behind Jason Kidd
, Oscar Robertson
and Magic Johnson
.
, and the two players had a high-profile rivalry that culminated in the 1996 NBA Finals. Jordan and Payton are the only two guards to have won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award since 1989, and despite their different positions (shooting guard and point guard respectively), they were well matched for other reasons. Both were prodigious "trash talkers" (Larry Johnson once named Payton, Jordan and himself the best three trash talkers in the league), had legendary competitiveness, and as the 1997 NBA Preview magazine stated, "Payton [was] quick, and strong as an ox", making him the kind of player who could frustrate Jordan defensively. Payton, at 6'4" and with a tough physique, was one of a handful of point guards with the size and body type to guard Jordan.
Midway through the 1996 NBA Finals
, Seattle coach George Karl
made the decision to assign Payton to play defense as a shooting guard instead of his normal point guard
assignment in order to defend Jordan. Though the Bulls won the series, Seattle's (and especially Payton's) defense held Jordan and the Bulls to their lowest offensive output in an NBA finals and "frustrated the best player in the game." In his first three NBA Finals, Jordan averaged 36.3 points per game and had scored at least 30 points in 14 of his 17 games. However, in the 1996 Finals, Jordan averaged 27.3 points per game and scored more than 30 points in only 1 of the 6 games. In a game 5 preview after Payton had held Jordan to a career NBA Finals low of 23, an NBA pregame show described the rivalry of two strong defensive players renowned for their competitiveness.
, commentating for NBC
at the time, said Payton "outplayed" Jordan during the second half of the series, and that Seattle coach George Karl
would "rue" the decision to "hide [Payton] from 'the king'" in the early games of the series. During this series, Payton and his Sonics also held Jordan's Bulls to the lowest-scoring quarter in their NBA Finals history. Michael Jordan would never score fewer points in an NBA Finals game than his 22 points in game 6, and would never be held under 30 points more than twice in a Finals series, which the Sonics did five times.
was the only player to log more minutes of playing time than Payton in the 1990s, and since the 1990–91 season when Payton joined the league, no player has logged more total minutes. Sports Illustrated labeled Payton's 2003–04 season
as the best season ever by a point guard aged 35 or older, with the exception of John Stockton's later years, and Payton continued to play at a high level even as he advanced in age.
In his later years, Payton gained recognition as a clutch performer, hitting several key shots during the Miami Heat's 2006 championship run. In 2006, he was referred to as "obviously...one of the greatest clutch shooters of our time".
awareness, and Payton has lent many hours and provided tremendous financial support to the Boys & Girls Club of America and the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Payton has also donated Miami Heat tickets to underprivileged children. For the Christmas of 2003 he took 10 families from the Ronald McDonald house in Los Angeles and let each of the over 40 children have a $100 shopping spree at FAO Schwarz. For Christmas, 2005, he gave 60 children $100 Toys-R-Us shopping sprees as part of the Voices For Children program. In 1999 he wrote an autobiographical children's book entitled Confidence Counts as part of the "Positively for Kids" series, illustrating the importance of confidence through events in his own life. In July 1999, Payton was named to The Sporting News
' "Good Guys In Sports" list. Payton hosted a radio show in early 1998 on Seattle's KUBE 93.3 station. He played hip-hop including The Roots, Raekwon, Outkast, and Cam'ron. He did it for charity during the NBA lockout.
, Payton has openly expressed his desire not to have his retired jersey number in Oklahoma City as part of that team's history. He wishes instead for it to remain in Seattle
, where he enjoyed the majority of his career's success and popularity. This seems likely as the SuperSonics' team name, colors, uniforms and trophies are remaining in Seattle for a possible future team to adopt upon arrival.
Payton is featured in the documentary Sonicsgate
, which covers the team's relocation from Seattle to Oklahoma City.
Payton is currently working on bringing the NBA
back to Seattle. He also stated when the NBA comes back to Seattle he wants to be part of the team so the team won't be relocated again.
for a period of time, playing for the Manawatu Jets
.
, Payton served as a studio analyst for NBA TV
and as an occasional substitute analyst on The NBA on TNT. He was replaced with Kevin McHale
for the 2009–10 season
.
, and also performed a speaking role in the 1999 comedy film The Breaks.
Payton appeared on Onion SportsDome
.
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
|bgcolor="CFECEC"| 82 || 82 || 27.4 || .450 || .077 || .711 || 3.0 || 6.4 || 2.0 || .2 || 7.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 81 || 79 || 31.5 || .451 || .130 || .669 || 3.6 || 6.2 || 1.8 || .3 || 9.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 82 || 82 || 31.1 || .494 || .206 || .770 || 3.4 || 4.9 || 2.2 || .3 || 13.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
|bgcolor="CFECEC"| 82 || 82 || 35.1 || .504 || .278 || .595 || 3.3 || 6.0 || 2.3 || .2 || 16.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
|bgcolor="CFECEC"| 82 || 82 || 36.8 || .509 || .302 || .716 || 3.4 || 7.1 || 2.5 || .2 || 20.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 81 || 81 || 39.0 || .484 || .328 || .748 || 4.2 || 7.5 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 2.9 || .2 || 19.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 82 || 82 || 39.2 || .476 || .313 || .715 || 4.6 || 7.1 || 2.4 || .2 || 21.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
|bgcolor="CFECEC"| 82 || 82 || 38.4 || .453 || .338 || .744 || 4.6 || 8.3 || 2.3 || .2 || 19.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
|bgcolor="CFECEC"| 50 || 50 || 40.2 || .434 || .295 || .721 || 4.9 || 8.7 || 2.2 || .2 || 21.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 82 || 82 || 41.8 || .448 || .340 || .735 || 6.5 || 8.9 || 1.9 || .2 || 24.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 79 || 79 || 41.1 || .456 || .375 || .766 || 4.6 || 8.1 || 1.6 || .3 || 23.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 82 || 82 || 40.3 || .467 || .314 || .797 || 4.8 || 9.0 || 1.6 || .3 || 22.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 52 || 52 || 40.8 || .448 || .298 || .692 || 4.8 || 8.8 || 1.8 || .2 || 20.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2002–03
| style="text-align:left;"| Milwaukee
| 28 || 28 || 38.8 || .466 || .294 || .746 || 3.1 || 7.4 || 1.4 || .3 || 19.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 82 || 82 || 34.5 || .471 || .333 || .714 || 4.2 || 5.5 || 1.2 || .2 || 14.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 77 || 77 || 33.0 || .468 || .326 || .761 || 3.1 || 6.1 || 1.1 || .2 || 11.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA"| †
| style="text-align:left;"| Miami
| 81 || 25 || 28.5 || .420 || .287 || .794 || 2.9 || 3.2 || .9 || .1 || 7.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Miami
| 68 || 28 || 22.1 || .393 || .260 || .667 || 1.9 || 3.0 || .6 || .0 || 5.3
|-
|-class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:left;" colspan=2| Career
| 1335 || 1233 || 35.3 || .466 || .317 || .729 || 3.9 || 6.7 || 1.8 || .2 || 16.3
|-class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:left;" colspan=2| All-Star
| 9 || 2 || 20.8 || .436 || .273 || 1.000 || 3.3 || 8.1 || 2.1 || .0 || 9.4
| style="text-align:left;"| 1991
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 5 || 5 || 27.0 || .407 || .000 || 1.000 || 2.6 || 6.4 || 1.6 || .2 || 4.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1992
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 8 || 8 || 27.6 || .466 || .000 || .583 || 2.6 || 4.8 || 1.0 || .3 || 7.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1993
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 19 || 19 || 31.8 || .443 || .167 || .676 || 3.3 || 3.7 || 1.8 || .2 || 12.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1994
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 5 || 5 || 36.2 || .493 || .333 || .421 || 3.4 || 5.6 || 1.6 || .4 || 15.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1995
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 4 || 4 || 43.0 || .478 || .200 || .417 || 2.5 || 5.3 || 1.3 || .0 || 17.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1996
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 21 || 21 || 43.4 || .485 || .410 || .633 || 5.1 || 6.8 || 1.8 || .3 || 20.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1997
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 12 || 12 || 45.5 || .412 || .333 || .820 || 5.4 || 8.7 || 2.2 || .3 || 23.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1998
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 10 || 10 || 42.8 || .475 || .380 || .940 || 3.4 || 7.0 || 1.8 || .1 || 24.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2000
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 5 || 5 || 44.2 || .442 || .391 || .769 || 7.6 || 7.4 || 1.8 || .2 || 25.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2002
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 5 || 5 || 41.4 || .425 || .267 || .586 || 8.6 || 5.8 || .6 || .4 || 22.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2003
| style="text-align:left;"| Milwaukee
| 6 || 6 || 41.8 || .429 || .067 || .700 || 3.0 || 8.7 || 1.3 || .2 || 18.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2004
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 22 || 22 || 35.1 || .366 || .250 || .750 || 3.3 || 5.3 || 1.0 || .2 || 7.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2005
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 7 || 7 || 34.1 || .446 || .071 || .833 || 4.1 || 4.6 || .9 || .1 || 10.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA"| 2006
†
| style="text-align:left;"| Miami
| 23 || 0 || 24.3 || .422 || .293 || .720 || 1.7 || 1.6 || 1.0 || .1 || 5.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2007
| style="text-align:left;"| Miami
| 2 || 0 || 16.0 || .000 || .000 || – || 2.0 || 1.5 || .0 || .0 || .0
|-
|-class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:left;" colspan=2| Career
| 154 || 129 || 35.6 || .441 || .315 || .706 || 3.7 || 5.3 || 1.4 || .2 || 14.0
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketball point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
. He is best known for his 13-year tenure with the Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
, and holds Seattle franchise records in points, assists, and steals. He has also played with the Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
, Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
and Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
, the last with whom he won an NBA Championship.
The only point guard ever to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, Payton is widely considered one of the greatest of all time at that position. He was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team nine times, an NBA record he shares with Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
, Kevin Garnett
Kevin Garnett
Kevin Maurice Garnett is an American professional basketball player who currently plays power forward for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association . After a high school basketball career at Farragut Career Academy which included winning a national player of the year award, he...
and Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school...
. Payton got his nickname "The Glove" when Payton's cousin called him during the 1993 Western Conference
Western Conference (NBA)
Below is a list of current Western Conference NBA team rosters.-Western Conference:There are a total of 15 teams in the Western Conference. The current leading team of the Western conference are the Dallas Mavericks....
Finals series against Phoenix
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
and told him, "you're holding Kevin Johnson
Kevin Johnson
Kevin Maurice Johnson is the current mayor of Sacramento, California. He is Sacramento's first African American mayor. Prior to entering politics, Johnson was a basketball player in the NBA, playing point guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Phoenix Suns...
like a baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
in a glove
Baseball glove
A baseball glove or mitt is a large leather glove that baseball players on the defending team are allowed to wear to assist them in catching and fielding balls hit by a batter, or thrown by a teammate.-History:...
," and the nickname was born.
Considered the "NBA's reigning high scorer among point guards" in his prime, Payton is referred to as "probably as complete a guard as there ever was" by NBA Hall of Famer Gail Goodrich
Gail Goodrich
Gail Charles Goodrich Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association . He is best-known for scoring a then record 42 points in the 1965 NCAA championship game vs. Michigan, and his part in the Los Angeles Lakers' 1971–72 season...
.
High school and college career
Payton was born in Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. He played high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
basketball at Skyline High School
Skyline High School (Oakland, California)
Skyline High School is a public high school in Oakland, California. It is noted for its strong academics and athletic programs, and consistently ranks as the top performing school in the area in terms of standardized testing, SAT scores, college acceptance rates, and matriculation...
in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, along with former NBA player Greg Foster
Greg Foster (basketball)
Gregory Clinton Foster is a retired American professional basketball player.-College years:Foster was born in Oakland, California and attended Skyline High School where he played alongside future NBA point guard Gary Payton. He began his collegiate basketball career at UCLA, playing for the Bruins...
, before attending Oregon State University
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
in Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
. In his sophomore year, his grades plummeted and was declared academically ineligible. His dad encouraged him to focus on school, and he was allowed to play again. Throughout his four-year career at OSU, he became one of the most decorated basketball players in OSU history. During his senior year, Payton was featured on the March 5, 1990 cover of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
magazine as the nation's best college basketball player. He was a consensus All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n in 1990; three-time All-Pac-10 selection, and named the Pac-10 conference's 1987 Freshman of the Year. He was the MVP of the Far West Classic tournament three times and was the Pac-10 Player of the Week nine times. He also was named to the Pac-10's All-Decade Team. At the time of his graduation, he held the school record for points, field goal
Field goal (basketball)
In basketball, the term field goal refers to a basket scored on any shot or tap other than a free throw, worth two or three points depending on the distance of the attempt from the basket. "Field Goal" is the official terminology used by the National Basketball Association in their rule book,...
s, three-point field goals, assist
Assist (basketball)
In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist...
s, and steals
Steal (basketball)
In basketball, a steal occurs when a defensive player legally causes a turnover by his positive, aggressive action. This can be done by deflecting and controlling, catching, or batting to a teammate a pass or dribble of an offensive player...
— the only record which he still holds today. During his career at OSU, the Beavers made three NCAA Tournament appearances and one NIT
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
appearance. He was elected into OSU's Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.
NBA career
Payton was the second overall pick in the 1990 NBA Draft1990 NBA Draft
The 1990 NBA Draft took place on June 27, 1990, in New York City, New York. This draft produced only one perennial All-Star,Gary Payton. Among the 54 picks, Payton is considered by far the best pick of the draft. Payton went on to be considered one of the greatest point guards of all time...
by the Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
, and spent his first 12½ seasons with the Sonics. Entering the league to star-studded expectations, Payton struggled during his first two seasons in the league, averaging 8.2 points per game during that span. However, he soon proved himself to be one of the league's top point guards, while, during the 90s Payton, alongside Shawn Kemp
Shawn Kemp
Shawn T. Kemp is a former American professional basketball player, who played in the National Basketball Association for 14 seasons. He was a six-time NBA All-Star and a three-time All-NBA Second Team member.-Early years:...
formed the "Sonic Boom" – one of the most thrilling tandems of all time. He earned his first of 9 consecutive All-NBA team selections when he was chosen to the All-NBA Third team in 1994. Payton would go on to make the All-NBA First-Team in 1998 and 2000, All-NBA Second Team in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2002, and All-NBA Third Team in 1994 and 2001. He was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team a record nine consecutive seasons (1994–2002), and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award
NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award
The National Basketball Association's Defensive Player of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1982–83 NBA season, to the top defensive player of the regular season...
in 1996, the first guard to have won the award in 8 years. He has been selected to the NBA All-Star Team nine times and was voted as a starter in 1997 and 1998. He was a member of the gold medal-winning 1996
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
and 2000
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
U.S. Men's Olympic Basketball Teams. In 1996, Payton and the SuperSonics, under coach George Karl
George Karl
George Matthew Karl is a former National Basketball Association and American Basketball Association player. He is the current head coach of the Denver Nuggets. On December 10, 2010 he became the seventh coach in NBA history to record 1,000 wins.-Biography:Karl was born in Penn Hills,...
, reached the NBA Finals
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
after winning a franchise record 64 games and lost in six games to Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
's Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
. In the middle of the 2002–03 season
2002-03 NBA season
The 2002–03 NBA season was the 57th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs beating the New Jersey Nets 4-2 in the 2003 NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...
at the trade deadline, Payton was sent to the Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
in a five-player deal that sent Ray Allen
Ray Allen
Walter Ray Allen is an American professional basketball player who is currently playing for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association. He has played professionally for the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, and the Boston Celtics; and collegiately for the University of...
to Seattle. Payton played the remaining 28 games with the Bucks. As an unrestricted free agent prior to the 2003–04
2003-04 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves*Rookie of the Year: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers*Defensive Player of the Year: Ron Artest, Indiana Pacers...
season, Payton, along with Karl Malone
Karl Malone
Karl Anthony Malone , nicknamed "The Mailman", is a retired American professional basketball power forward who spent the majority of his career with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association . Malone spent his first 18 seasons with the Jazz and formed a formidable duo with his teammate...
, signed with the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
to make a run at the NBA Championship. Despite injuries to Malone, Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...
, and Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school...
during the regular season, the Lakers won 56 games and the Pacific Division. The Lakers then beat Houston
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
, San Antonio
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
, and Minnesota
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...
on the way to the Finals, where they lost to Detroit
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
four games to one.
Prior to the 2004–05 season
2004-05 NBA season
The 2004–05 NBA season was the 59th season of the National Basketball Association . It began on November 2, 2004 and ended June 23, 2005. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs defeating defending champion Detroit Pistons 4–3 in the NBA Finals....
, the Lakers traded Payton and Rick Fox
Rick Fox
Ulrich Alexander "Rick" Fox is a Canadian television actor and retired professional basketball player who last played for the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers in 2004.-Early life:...
to the Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
for center Chris Mihm
Chris Mihm
Christopher Steven Mihm is a 7 ft , 265 pound American professional basketball player currently a free agent. He was drafted with the 7th overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls.-Early life:...
, small forward Jumaine Jones
Jumaine Jones
Jumaine Lanard Jones is an American professional basketball forward. An NBA player from 1999 to 2007 drafted from the University of Georgia, he has played in the small forward and power forward positions...
and point guard Chucky Atkins
Chucky Atkins
Kenneth Lavon "Chucky" Atkins is an American professional basketball player. He is currently a free agent.-Basketball career:...
. While Payton expressed displeasure with the trade, he ultimately did report to Boston and began the 2004–05 season as the Celtics' starting point guard. On February 24, 2005 Payton was traded to the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
in a deal that brought former Celtic Antoine Walker
Antoine Walker
Antoine Devon Walker is an American professional basketball player who most recently played for the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League...
back to Boston. The Hawks then waived Payton immediately following the trade, and he returned a week later to Boston as a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. Payton started all 77 games he played for the Celtics and they won the Atlantic Division
Eastern Conference (NBA)
The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association is made up of fifteen teams, organized in three divisions of five teams each.The three division winners and the non-division winner with the best record are seeded 1 through 4 for the playoffs in order of their records, with all...
before losing in the first round to the Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
.
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...
. Payton finally won his first NBA Championship in his sixteenth season in the league when, on June 20, 2006, the Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
in game six of the 2006 NBA Finals
2006 NBA Finals
The 2006 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2005–06 National Basketball Association season. The Miami Heat won the championship in six games over the Dallas Mavericks, winning the final game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, and becoming the third team to win a championship...
for a four to two series victory. Payton hit two crucial shots in that series: a game-winning shot in game three that ignited the Heat's comeback in the series (after being down 0–2) and, in game five, the Heat's final field goal in a one-point victory.
On September 6, 2006, the 38-year old Payton re-signed with the defending champion Miami Heat on a one-year, $1.2 million contract. During the subsequent 2006-07 NBA season
2006-07 NBA season
The 2006–07 NBA season was the 61st season of the National Basketball Association. The regular season began on October 31, 2006 and ran through April 18, 2007. The league fielded 30 teams, each playing an 82 game regular season schedule. The top eight seeds from each conference reached the NBA...
, Payton continued to climb up several NBA all-time lists: he moved from 17th to 8th in all-time NBA games played, passed John Havlicek
John Havlicek
John J. "Hondo" Havlicek is a retired American professional basketball player who competed for 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA titles, half of them coming in his first four seasons....
and Robert Parish
Robert Parish
Robert Lee Parish is a retired American basketball center. He was known for his strong defense and jump shooting, and was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003...
to move into 7th in all-time minutes played, and passed Hal Greer
Hal Greer
Harold Everett Greer is a retired American professional basketball player.He attended Douglass Junior and Senior High School in Huntington. He played college basketball at Marshall University and was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals of the NBA in 1958...
and Larry Bird
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...
to become the 21st-highest scorer in NBA history.
Personality
Payton is well-known for his trash-talkTrash-talk
Trash-talk is a form of boast or insult commonly heard in competitive situations , primarily in the US. It is often used to intimidate the opposition, but can also be used in a humorous spirit...
. His trademark open-mouth, bobbing-head style on the court (combined with his 17 years in the league) led to Payton receiving the third-most technical foul
Technical foul
In basketball, a technical foul is any infraction of the rules penalized as a foul which does not involve physical contact during the course of play between players on the court, or is a foul by a non-player. The most common technical foul is for unsportsmanlike conduct...
s of all time (behind Jerry Sloan
Jerry Sloan
Gerald Eugene "Jerry" Sloan , is an American former National Basketball Association player and head coach, and a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. NBA commissioner David Stern called Sloan "one of the greatest and most respected coaches in NBA history." Sloan had a career regular-season...
and Rasheed Wallace
Rasheed Wallace
Rasheed Abdul Wallace is a retired American professional basketball power forward and center who played from 1995 to 2010 in the National Basketball Association...
). This, along with other factors, earned Payton a reputation as a difficult, volatile, and somewhat egotistical presence in the locker room, which was further fueled by various fines and suspensions handed out to him by team management during Payton's last few years in Seattle.
However, Payton became much less volatile in his later years, and many players, including Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...
and Antoine Walker
Antoine Walker
Antoine Devon Walker is an American professional basketball player who most recently played for the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League...
, have greatly enjoyed playing with Payton. In Los Angeles, Boston, and Miami, he was recognized as a psychological leader and mentor for many of the younger players. Of his trash talking, Payton has stated "I never take it too far...I just try to talk and get their mind off the game, and turn their attention on me", adding that "sometimes I get accused of trash talking even though I'm not...[referees and spectators] immediately figure you're trash talking. But I could be talking to a guy about what's going on or asking about his family." One of Payton's major beliefs is that "mental toughness" is as much a part of the game as on-court play. In addition, All-Star point guard Jason Kidd
Jason Kidd
Jason Frederick Kidd is an American professional basketball point guard who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. Raised in Oakland, California, Kidd played college basketball at the University of California, Berkeley and was drafted second overall by the Dallas...
has referred to Payton as a "mentor" for the way he treated Kidd growing up in the same neighborhood of Oakland. Payton has said that his own mental toughness was developed in his days learning to play basketball in Oakland: "You learned that you can be friends before the game and after the game. But once the game starts, it's all about business. No jive."
Payton has appeared in many movies and television shows, and in 2001, gave a humorous, televised "motivational speech" to his team during the NBA All-Star Game
2001 NBA All-Star Game
The 2001 NBA All-Star Game was a basketball matchup between the Eastern and Western Conference All-Stars of the NBA. It was held in front of a sellout crowd at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C. This was the 50th edition of the annual event....
.
Playing style
Since Payton's career ended in 2007, he has been mentioned among the all-time greatest point guards. Gail GoodrichGail Goodrich
Gail Charles Goodrich Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association . He is best-known for scoring a then record 42 points in the 1965 NCAA championship game vs. Michigan, and his part in the Los Angeles Lakers' 1971–72 season...
, who played with hall of fame guard Jerry West
Jerry West
Jerry Alan West is a retired American basketball player who played his entire professional career for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . His nicknames include "Mr...
, said "Gary Payton is probably as complete a guard as there ever was." Legendary point guard Kevin Johnson
Kevin Johnson
Kevin Maurice Johnson is the current mayor of Sacramento, California. He is Sacramento's first African American mayor. Prior to entering politics, Johnson was a basketball player in the NBA, playing point guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Phoenix Suns...
considers Payton "certainly...amongst the best ever" and "just as intimidating...maybe even more so than all-time greats Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...
, Isiah Thomas
Isiah Thomas
Isiah Lord Thomas III , nicknamed "Zeke",is the men's basketball coach for the FIU Golden Panthers, and a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association from 1981 until 1994. He led the "Bad Boys" to the NBA...
, Tiny Archibald and Maurice Cheeks
Maurice Cheeks
Maurice Edward "Mo" Cheeks is a retired American professional basketball player and assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association from May 23, 2005 to December 13, 2008...
." When asked to classify the best players in each position of the late 1990s and early 21st century, NBA coach George Karl
George Karl
George Matthew Karl is a former National Basketball Association and American Basketball Association player. He is the current head coach of the Denver Nuggets. On December 10, 2010 he became the seventh coach in NBA history to record 1,000 wins.-Biography:Karl was born in Penn Hills,...
said of Payton, "I don't know who else you'd take at point guard. Some say Jason Kidd
Jason Kidd
Jason Frederick Kidd is an American professional basketball point guard who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. Raised in Oakland, California, Kidd played college basketball at the University of California, Berkeley and was drafted second overall by the Dallas...
. Well, every time Gary went nose-to-nose with Kidd, Gary won that matchup."
Payton's all-time rankings for points (31st) and assists (8th) highlight the tremendous offensive contributions he made throughout his career, but he is most widely recognized for his defensive contributions. The Sporting News said in 2000 that Payton was "building a case as the best two-way point guard in history", and asked "If you weigh offense and defense equally, is Payton the best ever?"
When comparing Payton to the all-time greats, it has been said that "Payton arguably is the best defender of them all, and his offensive game is better than most."
His defensive prowess was once described by Kevin Johnson
Kevin Johnson
Kevin Maurice Johnson is the current mayor of Sacramento, California. He is Sacramento's first African American mayor. Prior to entering politics, Johnson was a basketball player in the NBA, playing point guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Phoenix Suns...
:
"You think of guys with great hands, like Maurice Cheeks and Derek Harper. Gary is like that. But he's also a great individual defender and a great team defender. He has all three components covered. That's very rare."
Offensively, Payton was not a particularly strong shooter but was much more physical than most point guards of his era, preferring to use his 6'4 body frame and strength to shield defenders on his way to the basket or posting up his opponent in an isolation play. Nonetheless, in his prime, Payton was the "NBA's reigning high scorer among point guards."
He is the only guard to have won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award since Michael Jordan in 1988. Also, he, Jordan and Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school...
share the record for most career NBA All-Defensive First Team selections, with 9. He is currently third all-time in career steals. A strong all-around player, Payton also ranks fifth all-time among guards in defensive rebounds, 12th in offensive rebounds, and 10th in total rebounds for a guard. Among players considered point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
s, Payton ranks 3rd in defensive rebounds, 5th in offensive rebounds, and 4th in total rebounds, behind Jason Kidd
Jason Kidd
Jason Frederick Kidd is an American professional basketball point guard who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. Raised in Oakland, California, Kidd played college basketball at the University of California, Berkeley and was drafted second overall by the Dallas...
, Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson
Oscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks...
and Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...
.
Payton vs. Jordan
Payton is also considered one of the best defensive opponents of Michael JordanMichael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
, and the two players had a high-profile rivalry that culminated in the 1996 NBA Finals. Jordan and Payton are the only two guards to have won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award since 1989, and despite their different positions (shooting guard and point guard respectively), they were well matched for other reasons. Both were prodigious "trash talkers" (Larry Johnson once named Payton, Jordan and himself the best three trash talkers in the league), had legendary competitiveness, and as the 1997 NBA Preview magazine stated, "Payton [was] quick, and strong as an ox", making him the kind of player who could frustrate Jordan defensively. Payton, at 6'4" and with a tough physique, was one of a handful of point guards with the size and body type to guard Jordan.
Midway through the 1996 NBA Finals
1996 NBA Finals
The 1996 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 1995-96 NBA season of the National Basketball Association. The Seattle SuperSonics of the Western Conference took on the Chicago Bulls of the Eastern Conference, with the Bulls holding home court advantage...
, Seattle coach George Karl
George Karl
George Matthew Karl is a former National Basketball Association and American Basketball Association player. He is the current head coach of the Denver Nuggets. On December 10, 2010 he became the seventh coach in NBA history to record 1,000 wins.-Biography:Karl was born in Penn Hills,...
made the decision to assign Payton to play defense as a shooting guard instead of his normal point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
assignment in order to defend Jordan. Though the Bulls won the series, Seattle's (and especially Payton's) defense held Jordan and the Bulls to their lowest offensive output in an NBA finals and "frustrated the best player in the game." In his first three NBA Finals, Jordan averaged 36.3 points per game and had scored at least 30 points in 14 of his 17 games. However, in the 1996 Finals, Jordan averaged 27.3 points per game and scored more than 30 points in only 1 of the 6 games. In a game 5 preview after Payton had held Jordan to a career NBA Finals low of 23, an NBA pregame show described the rivalry of two strong defensive players renowned for their competitiveness.
"[In Game 4, Jordan had his] lowest output in a Finals game, much of it with Payton guarding him. Though afterwards, Jordan refused to give Payton credit, saying 'No one can stop me, I can only stop myself. I missed some easy shots.' The truth is, Jordan finds the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year [Payton] annoying. He views the [young Payton] as impudent, and he would love to have a big game at [Payton's] expense." (NBA on NBC Preview, Game 5)The Sonics won that game by 21 points and Payton held Jordan to 26 points – Jordan's second-lowest-scoring Finals game in his career up to that point. In game 6, which the Bulls would win to capture the Championship, Payton played 47 minutes and Jordan missed 14 of his 19 shots, getting a career Finals low 22 points. By the end of the series, Michael Jordan had been held under 30 points in 5 of the 6 games, including his three lowest-scoring Finals games up to that point (26 in Game 5, 23 in Game 4, 22 in Game 6). Bill Walton
Bill Walton
William Theodore "Bill" Walton III is a retired American basketball player and television sportscaster. The "Big Red-Head", as he was called, achieved superstardom playing for John Wooden's powerhouse UCLA Bruins in the early '70s, winning three straight College Player of the Year Awards, while...
, commentating for NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
at the time, said Payton "outplayed" Jordan during the second half of the series, and that Seattle coach George Karl
George Karl
George Matthew Karl is a former National Basketball Association and American Basketball Association player. He is the current head coach of the Denver Nuggets. On December 10, 2010 he became the seventh coach in NBA history to record 1,000 wins.-Biography:Karl was born in Penn Hills,...
would "rue" the decision to "hide [Payton] from 'the king'" in the early games of the series. During this series, Payton and his Sonics also held Jordan's Bulls to the lowest-scoring quarter in their NBA Finals history. Michael Jordan would never score fewer points in an NBA Finals game than his 22 points in game 6, and would never be held under 30 points more than twice in a Finals series, which the Sonics did five times.
Heart of a Champion
Many attribute his greatness to the tremendous work ethic and courage he displayed throughout his career. In his 17-year career, Payton missed only 25 games, and at one point held the longest active streak for consecutive games played, with over 300. Of those games he did miss, many were due to suspensions or coaches' decisions (particularly in his final season), as Payton was highly capable (and highly willing) of playing through injury. The Sporting News noted in a 2000 article, "Durability always has been one of Payton's strong suits. He has missed only two games in 10 seasons and is generally counted on for nearly a full game's worth of nonstop motion, despite chronic back pain that requires extensive stretching and regular applications of heating packs." The hard working and well-conditioned Karl MaloneKarl Malone
Karl Anthony Malone , nicknamed "The Mailman", is a retired American professional basketball power forward who spent the majority of his career with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association . Malone spent his first 18 seasons with the Jazz and formed a formidable duo with his teammate...
was the only player to log more minutes of playing time than Payton in the 1990s, and since the 1990–91 season when Payton joined the league, no player has logged more total minutes. Sports Illustrated labeled Payton's 2003–04 season
2003-04 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves*Rookie of the Year: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers*Defensive Player of the Year: Ron Artest, Indiana Pacers...
as the best season ever by a point guard aged 35 or older, with the exception of John Stockton's later years, and Payton continued to play at a high level even as he advanced in age.
In his later years, Payton gained recognition as a clutch performer, hitting several key shots during the Miami Heat's 2006 championship run. In 2006, he was referred to as "obviously...one of the greatest clutch shooters of our time".
Charity and community involvement
Payton has made numerous well-regarded contributions of both time and money to the community. He set up The Gary Payton Foundation in 1996 to provide safe places for recreational activity, and to help underprivileged youth in his hometown of Oakland stay in school. He hosts an annual charity basketball game as part of his foundation. Payton and his wife, Monique, have been active in fundraising endeavors for HIVHIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
awareness, and Payton has lent many hours and provided tremendous financial support to the Boys & Girls Club of America and the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Payton has also donated Miami Heat tickets to underprivileged children. For the Christmas of 2003 he took 10 families from the Ronald McDonald house in Los Angeles and let each of the over 40 children have a $100 shopping spree at FAO Schwarz. For Christmas, 2005, he gave 60 children $100 Toys-R-Us shopping sprees as part of the Voices For Children program. In 1999 he wrote an autobiographical children's book entitled Confidence Counts as part of the "Positively for Kids" series, illustrating the importance of confidence through events in his own life. In July 1999, Payton was named to The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
' "Good Guys In Sports" list. Payton hosted a radio show in early 1998 on Seattle's KUBE 93.3 station. He played hip-hop including The Roots, Raekwon, Outkast, and Cam'ron. He did it for charity during the NBA lockout.
Support of Seattle basketball
Due to the Seattle SuperSonics moving to Oklahoma CityOklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
, Payton has openly expressed his desire not to have his retired jersey number in Oklahoma City as part of that team's history. He wishes instead for it to remain in Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, where he enjoyed the majority of his career's success and popularity. This seems likely as the SuperSonics' team name, colors, uniforms and trophies are remaining in Seattle for a possible future team to adopt upon arrival.
Payton is featured in the documentary Sonicsgate
Sonicsgate
Sonicsgate: Requiem For A Team is a 2009 educational feature documentary film chronicling the rise and demise of the Seattle SuperSonics NBA franchise 1967-2008, having left Seattle after 41 years to move to Oklahoma City and become the Thunder. ...
, which covers the team's relocation from Seattle to Oklahoma City.
Payton is currently working on bringing the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
back to Seattle. He also stated when the NBA comes back to Seattle he wants to be part of the team so the team won't be relocated again.
Personal
Payton is the son of Al and Annie Payton. He married Monique James on July 26, 1997. They live in Oakland and Las Vegas, NV and have three kids: Gary Jr., Julian, and Raquel, a sophomore at St John's University. Payton also has another son named Gary Payton II with a different mother. His brother, Brandon played in New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
for a period of time, playing for the Manawatu Jets
Manawatu Jets
The Manawatu Jets, formerly referred to as the Palmerston North Jets, are a professional basketball team that play in the New Zealand National Basketball League. They play their home games at Arena Manawatu in Palmerston North, New Zealand. The biggest signed import to play for the Jets was Brandon...
.
Post NBA career
During the 2008–09 season2008–09 NBA season
The 2008–09 NBA season was the 63rd season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 28, 2008, and ended on Wednesday, April 15, 2009...
, Payton served as a studio analyst for NBA TV
NBA TV
NBA TV is a television specialty channel that is dedicated to showcasing the sport of basketball in the United States. The network is financially backed by the National Basketball Association , which also uses NBA TV as a way of advertising their out of market package NBA League Pass, and partner...
and as an occasional substitute analyst on The NBA on TNT. He was replaced with Kevin McHale
Kevin McHale
Kevin Edward McHale is a retired American professional basketball player and current head coach of the Houston Rockets. After his playing career, he worked for the Minnesota Timberwolves as the team's general manager and later its coach. He was fired as coach in June 2009...
for the 2009–10 season
2009–10 NBA season
The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....
.
Movie and TV appearances
Payton has appeared in White Men Can't Jump (1992), Eddie (1996), Like MikeLike Mike
Like Mike is a 2002 film, directed by John Schultz and starring Lil' Bow Wow, Morris Chestnut, Jonathan Lipnicki and Brenda Song. It was produced in association with NBA Entertainment and features many cameo appearances by NBA stars...
, and also performed a speaking role in the 1999 comedy film The Breaks.
Payton appeared on Onion SportsDome
Onion SportsDome
Onion SportsDome is a parody sports television show from the makers of The Onion. The show premiered on Tuesday, January 11, 2011, at 10:30 p.m. EST on Comedy Central in the United States. It is seen in Canada on The Comedy Network....
.
NBA career statistics
| † | NBA Championship |
| Led the league | |
Regular season
|-| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
|bgcolor="CFECEC"| 82 || 82 || 27.4 || .450 || .077 || .711 || 3.0 || 6.4 || 2.0 || .2 || 7.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 81 || 79 || 31.5 || .451 || .130 || .669 || 3.6 || 6.2 || 1.8 || .3 || 9.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 82 || 82 || 31.1 || .494 || .206 || .770 || 3.4 || 4.9 || 2.2 || .3 || 13.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
|bgcolor="CFECEC"| 82 || 82 || 35.1 || .504 || .278 || .595 || 3.3 || 6.0 || 2.3 || .2 || 16.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
|bgcolor="CFECEC"| 82 || 82 || 36.8 || .509 || .302 || .716 || 3.4 || 7.1 || 2.5 || .2 || 20.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 81 || 81 || 39.0 || .484 || .328 || .748 || 4.2 || 7.5 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 2.9 || .2 || 19.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 82 || 82 || 39.2 || .476 || .313 || .715 || 4.6 || 7.1 || 2.4 || .2 || 21.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
|bgcolor="CFECEC"| 82 || 82 || 38.4 || .453 || .338 || .744 || 4.6 || 8.3 || 2.3 || .2 || 19.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
|bgcolor="CFECEC"| 50 || 50 || 40.2 || .434 || .295 || .721 || 4.9 || 8.7 || 2.2 || .2 || 21.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 82 || 82 || 41.8 || .448 || .340 || .735 || 6.5 || 8.9 || 1.9 || .2 || 24.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 79 || 79 || 41.1 || .456 || .375 || .766 || 4.6 || 8.1 || 1.6 || .3 || 23.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 82 || 82 || 40.3 || .467 || .314 || .797 || 4.8 || 9.0 || 1.6 || .3 || 22.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 52 || 52 || 40.8 || .448 || .298 || .692 || 4.8 || 8.8 || 1.8 || .2 || 20.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2002–03
| style="text-align:left;"| Milwaukee
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
| 28 || 28 || 38.8 || .466 || .294 || .746 || 3.1 || 7.4 || 1.4 || .3 || 19.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
| 82 || 82 || 34.5 || .471 || .333 || .714 || 4.2 || 5.5 || 1.2 || .2 || 14.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
| 77 || 77 || 33.0 || .468 || .326 || .761 || 3.1 || 6.1 || 1.1 || .2 || 11.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA"| †
| style="text-align:left;"| Miami
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
| 81 || 25 || 28.5 || .420 || .287 || .794 || 2.9 || 3.2 || .9 || .1 || 7.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Miami
| 68 || 28 || 22.1 || .393 || .260 || .667 || 1.9 || 3.0 || .6 || .0 || 5.3
|-
|-class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:left;" colspan=2| Career
| 1335 || 1233 || 35.3 || .466 || .317 || .729 || 3.9 || 6.7 || 1.8 || .2 || 16.3
|-class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:left;" colspan=2| All-Star
| 9 || 2 || 20.8 || .436 || .273 || 1.000 || 3.3 || 8.1 || 2.1 || .0 || 9.4
Playoffs
|-| style="text-align:left;"| 1991
1991 NBA Playoffs
The 1991 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1990–91 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning their first NBA championship via a four-games-to-one victory over the Western Conference champion Los...
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
| 5 || 5 || 27.0 || .407 || .000 || 1.000 || 2.6 || 6.4 || 1.6 || .2 || 4.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1992
1992 NBA Playoffs
NBA Champions: Chicago BullsThe 1992 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament following the National Basketball Association's 1991-1992 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning their second consecutive NBA championship by defeating the Western...
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 8 || 8 || 27.6 || .466 || .000 || .583 || 2.6 || 4.8 || 1.0 || .3 || 7.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1993
1993 NBA Playoffs
The 1993 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1992-1993 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning their third consecutive championship by defeating the Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns four...
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 19 || 19 || 31.8 || .443 || .167 || .676 || 3.3 || 3.7 || 1.8 || .2 || 12.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1994
1994 NBA Playoffs
The 1994 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1993-94 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets defeating the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals...
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 5 || 5 || 36.2 || .493 || .333 || .421 || 3.4 || 5.6 || 1.6 || .4 || 15.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1995
1995 NBA Playoffs
The 1995 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1994-1995 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets winning their second consecutive NBA championship by defeating the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic...
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 4 || 4 || 43.0 || .478 || .200 || .417 || 2.5 || 5.3 || 1.3 || .0 || 17.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1996
1996 NBA Playoffs
The 1996 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1995-1996 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning their first NBA championship in three years by defeating the Western Conference champion Seattle...
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 21 || 21 || 43.4 || .485 || .410 || .633 || 5.1 || 6.8 || 1.8 || .3 || 20.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1997
1997 NBA Playoffs
The 1997 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1996–97 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning the NBA championship by defeating the Western Conference champion Utah Jazzfour games to two...
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 12 || 12 || 45.5 || .412 || .333 || .820 || 5.4 || 8.7 || 2.2 || .3 || 23.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1998
1998 NBA Playoffs
The 1998 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1997-98 NBA season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning their sixth championship of the decade by defeating the Western Conference champion Utah Jazz four...
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 10 || 10 || 42.8 || .475 || .380 || .940 || 3.4 || 7.0 || 1.8 || .1 || 24.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2000
2000 NBA Playoffs
The 2000 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1999–2000 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers win their first championship in twelve years by defeating the Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers...
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 5 || 5 || 44.2 || .442 || .391 || .769 || 7.6 || 7.4 || 1.8 || .2 || 25.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2002
2002 NBA Playoffs
The 2002 NBA Playoffs were the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2001–02 season. This would be the final postseason that held a best-of-5 first-round series; next year's postseason would see those series expanded to a best-of-7 format...
| style="text-align:left;"| Seattle
| 5 || 5 || 41.4 || .425 || .267 || .586 || 8.6 || 5.8 || .6 || .4 || 22.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2003
2003 NBA Playoffs
The 2003 NBA playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2002-03 NBA season. This postseason was notable for being the first time all series were conducted in a best-of-7 format. It was also the only time in playoff history that no team was swept in a first-round series....
| style="text-align:left;"| Milwaukee
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
| 6 || 6 || 41.8 || .429 || .067 || .700 || 3.0 || 8.7 || 1.3 || .2 || 18.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2004
2004 NBA Playoffs
The 2004 NBA Playoffs were the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2003–04 season. Consisting of 16 teams in two conferences, the playoffs involved about two months of play. The playoffs were conducted in seven-game series, with the team with the better record holding home court...
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
| 22 || 22 || 35.1 || .366 || .250 || .750 || 3.3 || 5.3 || 1.0 || .2 || 7.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2005
2005 NBA Playoffs
The 2005 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2004–05 season.The San Antonio Spurs, the number two ranked team in the Western Conference, won the 2005 NBA Playoffs by defeating the defending champions, the Detroit Pistons, 4-3 in the NBA Finals...
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
| 7 || 7 || 34.1 || .446 || .071 || .833 || 4.1 || 4.6 || .9 || .1 || 10.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA"| 2006
2006 NBA Playoffs
The 2006 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2005–06 season. The Miami Heat won the first championship in the history of the franchise by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in the 2006 NBA Finals...
†
| style="text-align:left;"| Miami
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
| 23 || 0 || 24.3 || .422 || .293 || .720 || 1.7 || 1.6 || 1.0 || .1 || 5.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2007
2007 NBA Playoffs
The 2007 NBA Playoffs was the postseason to the National Basketball Association's 2006–2007 season.There were four rounds of postseason action, all of them in a best-of-seven format, with teams seeded on a bracket. The team with the better record wasn't necessarily the basis of seeding teams in...
| style="text-align:left;"| Miami
| 2 || 0 || 16.0 || .000 || .000 || – || 2.0 || 1.5 || .0 || .0 || .0
|-
|-class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:left;" colspan=2| Career
| 154 || 129 || 35.6 || .441 || .315 || .706 || 3.7 || 5.3 || 1.4 || .2 || 14.0
NBA highlights
- NBA Champion: 2006
- NBA Defensive Player of The Year: 1996 (only point guard ever to win the award, and only guard to win the award in the 1990s)
- 9-time NBA All-Star: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
- 9-time All-NBA:
- First Team: 1998, 2000
- Second Team: 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002
- Third Team: 1994, 2001
- 9-time All-Defensive First Team member: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999*, 2000*, 2001, 2002 (shares record for selections with Michael JordanMichael JordanMichael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
)-
* Highest vote getter in 1999 and 2000, second highest in 1998 and 2002
-
- NBA All-Rookie Second Team: 1991
- Led NBA in Assists: 1999–2000 (732)
- Led NBA in Steals: 1995–96 (231)
- Led NBA in Three-Pointers Made: 1999–2000 (177)
NBA milestones
- When Payton retired after the 2007 season, he was ranked in the all-time NBA top 10 in many categories:
- 21st in points (21,813)
- 7th in assists (8,966)
- 3rd in steals (2,445)
- 7th in minutes played (47,117)
- 8th in games played (1,335)
- 15th in overall win shares (417)
- Only player in NBA history to accumulate 20,000 points, 5,000 rebounds, 8,000 assists and 2,000 steals in a career
- Along with John StocktonJohn StocktonJohn Houston Stockton is a retired American professional basketball player who spent his entire career as a point guard for the Utah Jazz of the NBA from 1984 to 2003. Stockton is regarded as one of the best point guards of all time, holding the NBA records for most career assists and steals by...
and Jason KiddJason KiddJason Frederick Kidd is an American professional basketball point guard who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. Raised in Oakland, California, Kidd played college basketball at the University of California, Berkeley and was drafted second overall by the Dallas...
, Payton is one of only three players to compile 8,000 assists and 2,000 steals in his career
- Between 1990–91 and 2005–06, Payton was first in the league in total minutes played, games played, and steals, was second in total assists (behind John StocktonJohn StocktonJohn Houston Stockton is a retired American professional basketball player who spent his entire career as a point guard for the Utah Jazz of the NBA from 1984 to 2003. Stockton is regarded as one of the best point guards of all time, holding the NBA records for most career assists and steals by...
), and was third in points (Karl MaloneKarl MaloneKarl Anthony Malone , nicknamed "The Mailman", is a retired American professional basketball power forward who spent the majority of his career with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association . Malone spent his first 18 seasons with the Jazz and formed a formidable duo with his teammate...
, Shaquille O'NealShaquille O'NealShaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...
). During this span, Payton also led all guards in offensive rebounds. - Seattle SuperSonics Records
- ranks 1st all-time in points (18,207), assists (7,384), steals (2,107), games played (999), minutes played (36,858), field goals made (7,292), field goals attempted (15,562), three pointers attempted (2,855) and triple-doubles (14)
- ranks 2nd in free throws attempted (3,726) and three pointers made (917)
- ranks 3rd in total rebounds (4,240), free throws made (2,706) and defensive rebounds (3,043)
Other
- 2 Olympic Gold Medals with USA: 1996 Olympic Games1996 Summer OlympicsThe 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
(AtlantaAtlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
) and 2000 Olympic Games2000 Summer OlympicsThe Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
(Sydney). - Ranked #38 on SLAM's Top 50 NBA Players of All Time in 2009.
- Ranked #10 on ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's Top 10 NBA Point Guards of All Time.- In a 2006 poll of 86,000 ESPN.com readers who were asked to rank the ESPN top 10 on various aspects of the game, Payton was considered "best defender" by 48.1% of respondents. Walt "Clyde" FrazierWalt FrazierWalter "Clyde" Frazier is a retired American basketball player in the National Basketball Association . He was blessed with a unique combination of court vision, quickness, and size for a guard...
was second, with 11.8% of the vote. Payton and Frazier are the only two point guards to be selected to more than 5 NBA All-Defensive First Teams (9 and 7, respectively), and two of only four players who were selected to 5 or more All-Defensive teams without ever being on an All-Defensive 2nd team (Michael JordanMichael JordanMichael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
and Dave DebusschereDave DeBusschereDavid Albert DeBusschere was an American NBA and major league baseball player and coach in the NBA. In 1996, DeBusschere was named as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history....
are the others).
- In a 2006 poll of 86,000 ESPN.com readers who were asked to rank the ESPN top 10 on various aspects of the game, Payton was considered "best defender" by 48.1% of respondents. Walt "Clyde" Frazier
- In 2005, Payton was #1 on the list of best college point guards of the past 15 years by a reporter for College Hoops Net
- In a 2008 Espn.comESPN.comESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...
article, Payton was named the best #2 draft pick in NBA history during the "lottery eraNBA Draft LotteryThe NBA Draft Lottery is an annual event held by the National Basketball Association in which the teams who had missed the playoffs in the previous season, or teams who hold the draft rights of another team that missed the playoffs in the previous season, participate in a lottery process to...
" (1985–present), ahead of Jason Kidd - Payton, who is tied for 31st with 9 NBA All-Star game appearances, has been a solid performer in All-Star games, leading his team in assists three times (1995, 1997 and 1998), and in points once (1996). Payton had the two highest single-game assist totals for NBA All-Star games in the 1990s (15 in 1995, and 13 in 1998). He is currently #6 all-time in All-Star game assists and is #10 in All-Star game steals. He is also tied for #1 in All-Star game free throw percentage, having never missed a free throw in any of his 8 attempts. Payton was runner-up to Mitch RichmondMitch RichmondMitchell James "Mitch" Richmond is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. He played collegiately at Kansas State University. He was a 6-time NBA All-Star, a 5-time All-NBA Team member and a former NBA Rookie of the Year...
for the 1995 NBA All-Star Game MVP award. - In 2006, in commemoration of the NBA's 60th anniversary, TNTTurner Network TelevisionTurner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
selected Payton among the "Next 10" players to be added to the list of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, essentially recognizing Payton as one of the 60 Greatest Players in NBA HistoryTNT's Next 10 Greatest NBA PlayersOn the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the release of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, which was also the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the National Basketball Association, fourteen broadcasters employed by the American television network Turner Network Television released a...
. - In the NBA's 100 Greatest Plays, Payton was responsible for the 4th greatest play in the "Hustle" category, passed to Kemp in the NBA's 5th greatest Alley OopAlley OopAlley Oop is a syndicated comic strip, created in 1932 by American cartoonist V. T. Hamlin, who wrote and drew the popular and influential strip through four decades for Newspaper Enterprise Association...
, and was also featured in the NBA's greatest steals segment. - Payton has been on the cover of Sports IllustratedSports IllustratedSports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
six times: three times as the featured cover story (in 1990, 1994, and 1996), and three times in a secondary role. - Payton has appeared on the cover of SLAM MagazineSLAM MagazineSLAM Magazine is an American basketball magazine in circulation since 1994, published by Source Interlink. SLAM publishes nine issues a year to its circulation of over 500,000 readers worldwide.-History:...
two times – June 1998 and March 2003. - The Seattle Mayor's Office declared June 6, 2000 as "Gary Payton Day".
- Payton was mentioned in JR Writer's song, I'm a Real OG, for his superb crossover dribbleCrossover dribbleA crossover dribble is a basketball maneuver in which a player dribbling the ball switches the ball rapidly from one hand to the other, to make a change in direction. In a typical example the player heads upcourt, dribbling the ball in the left hand, then makes a wide step left with a good head fake...
. - He has had two streaks of 350+ consecutive games played. Payton played 354 consecutive games between January 16, 1992 and March 13, 1996. Five days later, Payton began his second iron-man streak playing in 356 consecutive games between March 18, 1996 and Jan. 17, 2001.
- In 1999, Charles BarkleyCharles BarkleyCharles Wade Barkley is a former American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Sir Charles" and "The Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley established himself as one of the National Basketball Association's most dominating power forwards...
called Payton "the greatest player in the world."
See also
- List of National Basketball Association players with 1000 games played
- List of National Basketball Association career scoring leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career turnovers leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career playoff assists leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career playoff steals leaders
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career assists leaders
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career steals leaders
External links
- Gary Payton at NBA.com