mentioned. Gary Payton is the Seattle SuperSonics’ all-time leader in points, assists, and steals. Gary is one of few players with the likes of Lebron James to have over 20,000 points, 8,000 assists and 2,000 steals in NBA history.
GP’s career was most associated with the Seattle Supersonics 13 year tenure, in which the team was eventually relocated to Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2008/09 season. It seems since the departure of the team, Payton also lost his place in the ranks amongst basketball greats. No team, no association and no reason to mention his name like the Lakers do when talking about their all-time greats while I am watching basketball.
GP was also the best trash talker the NBA has ever seen or heard and the only player to ever give Michael Jordan any problems in the NBA Finals. This is the trash-talking Bio of Gary Payton.
Born and Raised
Gary Dwayne Payton was born and raised in Oakland, California. He started playing basketball at 7 years old when His father a famous local man in Oakland named Mr. Al “Mean” Payton set up a basketball hoop on a tree on their property. This is where Gary and his brothers would play, his father would coach them and mold them into exceptional basketball players. Gary’s older brother Brandon Payton would eventually go on to play pro overseas.
Everyone Respected Mean Al, and many people were afraid of him including Payton. Payton credits his trash-talking to his father as he watched him on the streets and interact with others. Mean Al would put up with nothing, he was a fight first talk second kind of man.
On the court “Mean Al” would tell Gary to talk trash to his opponents. Gary discovered at a very young age that when he talked trash to the other players they were worried about him and not the game. While Gary would focus on the game and not the player. It was a level of thinking that worked for Gary and he could back it up. Gary would cause many brawls and arguments during games in which many times his father would have to step in. The trash-talking was apart of Gary’s game and he would destroy players with it.
At a young age, “Mean Al” would never give Gary a lot of credit on the court if he scored 50 points he would tell Gary you should of had 70. Mean Al would have Gary in tears, telling him he aint shit….
But Gary and the other players knew his Dad appreciated them, it was his way of showing them not to get comfortable to strive to get better. Gary recalls countless times Mean Al would buy the player’s shoes when they couldn’t afford them and take them out to eat.
Mean Al would coach many basketball talents over the years, he wasn’t just Gary’s father he was a father figure to everyone that played under him. Some notable talent that he coached and made the NBA, Jason Kidd, Antonio Davis and Greg Foster.
Payton knew Jason Kidd from when he was younger, kid was 5 years younger then Payton and would trash talk Jason Kidd until he was in tears. When they both were in the league, during Kidd’s first game against Payton they said Hi to each other but once the ball was tipped it was on, Jason Kidd Quoted:
‘I’ll never forget this, we’re playing in Tacoma, I’m in the NBA playing for Dallas, I’m a rookie playing against Gary. We always looked at each other, always said hi, but after the tip ball we were going at one another. And I’ll never forget, he’s posting me up and I pretty much know what he likes to do, so he went into his move and I blocked it. I told him ” get that stuff out of here” but I didn’t say stuff. He looked back at me and that was a big mistake. He went on a 15-0 personal run and we ended up losing the game.
‘So I went up to him after the game and said “hey my bad, I had a mental block I forgot who I was playing, I didn’t mean to say that to you”. He said “Oh no, you woke me up, it definitely helped me.” I said ‘Don’t worry about it, it’ll never happen again.”
Skyline High School
Foster played with Payton on the same team at Skyline High School in Oakland California. GP’s Sophmore year, Gary would become academically ineligible. Gary smartened up with his father over his shoulder making sure he turned his grades around. By his junior and senior years, his father was known to frequent his classroom when Gary would sometimes get into trouble. Then one day Gary was sent to the office because he disrespected his female teacher.
After lunch Gary had the same teacher for another lesson, when he entered the classroom he saw his dad sitting in one of the desks. Gary would learn an embarrassing lesson that day and would respect his teachers as he was slapped upside the head in front of everyone in the classroom. Just another reason why they called him mean Al as he never smiled but most everyone had respect for Mr.Payton including Gary.
In the following year’s Gary would lead skyline High to conference titles in his junior and senior years. Gary put up numbers that was getting him noticed by top college recruiters from division 1 schools around the country.
Gary was a loud character and had all the confidence in the world after playing basketball most of his young life against his older brothers and playing pick up on the tough streets of Oakland, California, he feared no one. Besides he had mean Al as a father, no one can intimidate a person like mean Al. Everyone else seemed like a cartoon character to Gary.
After high school, he would choose to play at St.johns University. On the day of the press conference, he received a call from coach Luigi P. Carnesecca stating they weren’t interested in him anymore as it would make many people mad recruiting in the East past Mississippi territory which was an unwritten rule amongst Colleges. Word got out and recruiting letters were back in his mailbox. Frustrated and confused Gary thought he wasn’t making the right decision allowing his mom to pick the college for him to play at.
Oregon State University
Gary would attend Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. The 6 foot 4, 180 lb guard would start for the Beavers his rookie year with fellow teammate and future NBA player Jose Ortiz. Oregon State would Place 3rd in the Pac 10 but lose in the first round of the playoffs. His rookie year numbers were as follows 12.5 Pts, 7.6 Ast, 4.0 Reb, 1.9 Stl.
Gary would become a lockdown defender in the PAC 10 conference in his freshman year. He credits his coach Ralph Miller who taught him all he knew about defense. Miller told Gary he had the best hands and feet he had ever seen in a player the first week of practice with the Beavers. He told Payton he could be the best defensive player ever. Gary thought he was crazy. Until he won Defensive player of the year in which Miller said I told Ya…Gary posted similar numbers in his second year with OSU beavers.
His Final 2 years leading up to the NBA Payton was starting to come into his own, putting up over 20 points with 8 asts and 3 stl a game. Payton would lead OSU to 3 consecutive national tournament appearances out of the 4 he was there.
Throughout his years playing at Oregon, Payton became one of the most decorated basketball players in OSU history. While being labeled a top 10 point guard by many basketball enthusiasts to play college ball.
His honors are many in his 4-year career at Oregon State:
- Consensus All American
- Three-Time All Pac 10 Selection
- Defensive Player Of The Year
- Conference Freshman Of The Year
- MVP Far West Classic Tourney 3 Times
- Pac 10 Player Of The Week 9 times
- Pac 10 All-Decade Team
When Payton had left OSU he held the school record for points, field goals, three-point field goals, assists, and steals. Payton was featured on the cover of sports illustrated magazine in 1990 as the nation’s best player. Six years after Payton had left Oregon State he was inducted into the OSU Hall Of Fame in 1996.
Seattle SuperSonics
Gary Payton would enter the NBA draft where he was selected as the 2nd overall pick by the Seattle Supersonics in 1990. Derrick Colemen was the number one pick ahead of Gary. Gary would join high flyer Shawn Kemp who was drafted the previous year by the sonics.
A new coach would also be assigned at the time of Payton’s arrival, K.C. Jones. The two personalities would clash, K.C and the other players thought Gary was an asshole.
I was an Asshole, He was always saying, “You ain’t ready. You ain’t ready.” I thought I was ready. He taught me a lesson. My first year, he wouldn’t play me. He’d be like, “I’m gonna start you because I have to — because you’re the second pick — but if you’re not playing good, McMillan’s gonna play all the minutes. Then I’m gonna start you again in the third quarter because I have to. Sh*t, then I’m not gonna let you back in the game, ’cuz you can’t do nothing for me.”
Payton was Xavier McDaniel’s, rookies would have to do whatever the veterans ask.
Xavier — I was his rookie, so I had to do everything for him. One day in practice, I was done with that sh*t. I told him, “Man, nah, f*ck that, I ain’t doing sh*t you say.” Xavier looked at me and was like, “Young boy, you ain’t even did sh*t in this league and you’re trying to f*cking tell me what the fu*ck to do? You gotta pay dues like I paid dues.” I said straight up, “What the f*ck you gon’ do? I ain’t paying f*cking sh*t.”
Xavier grabbed me by my neck in the middle of practice. Put me in one of those sleepers, right with everyone watching and everything. I was about to go out, and then he let me go. He told me, “If I have to beat your ass every time, you’re gonna listen to me.” That sh*t was a wake-up call. After that, I did everything he said. What’s funny is that me and Xav are still tight to this day
In Gary’s rookie year he played a pre-season game versus Michael Jordan and Chicago Bulls before the three-peat happened. Gary didn’t give a shit about no MJ, but he also didn’t understand that it was only pre-season. Gary was going off on the Bulls talking trash to everyone, giving it to B.J. Armstrong scoring 19 points on him. Running by the Bulls bench and talking smack to MJ, Michael didn’t play a lot of minutes in the pre-season in general. Something Payton realized later.
A couple of weeks go by and now its the regular season, Michael Jordan was coming to town. Seattle was set to play the Chicago Bulls, and Gary is ready for them.
So we go out there before the game, and everybody is shaking hands at the circle. MJ wouldn’t shake my hand.
He turns to B.J. and he says, “Leave the f*cking rookie to me,” so everyone can hear it.
Sh*t, O.K., I’m thinking.Well f*ck it then. Bring it on.
The game gets going. I’m checking Michael, and I see Phil Jackson start calling plays — four, five, six times in a row, he’s calling plays for Michael. And Michael is scoring four, five, six times in a row. Michael is on a different level than I knew there was.
In a matter of minutes, I’m in foul trouble. K.C. benches me. I didn’t really go back in the game much more after that. I remember I finished with no points — played about seven or eight minutes. MJ ended up going for 33.
Near the end of the game, I’m sitting on the bench, and MJ comes over to our bench — comes right up to me while the game is still going on. Coach is standing right there. Everyone on the bench is staring at him.
Looks right at me. “That sh*t you talking in preseason?”
The wild thing is, MJ isn’t even mad or nothing. He’s chewing his f*cking gum.
“This is the real sh*t right here. Welcome to the NBA, little fella.”
The Bulls won the title that season, and then five more before he was done.
A rude awakening Gary’s confidence and mentality on how to play the game was also diminishing to the point Payton didn’t think he belonged in the league. Gary felt he was restricted on the court playing under coach Jones’s, making his playing time for that year and a half was hell. Later Gary ha thanked K.C. for it, it was a growing experience.
Gary needed his confidence in his game back and to be able to have free will on the court to play how he knew. He almost left the Supersonics after his second year with the team. But on January 23, 1992, the Sonics signed George Karl. Seattle would make a late-season push going 27 and 15 making the playoffs as the sixth seed in the West.
In the first round of the playoffs, they faced George Karl’s former team the 3rd seed Golden State Warriors upsetting them with a sweep in a seven-game series. They then in turn lost in the second round to the Utah Jazz.
The following year in the 92/93 season Gary Payton led the Sonics all the way to the conference final after 55 and 27 record placing 3rd in the Western conference losing to Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns in a seven-game series.
By the 1993/94 season, the Sonics posted an NBA best going 63-19 in the regular season. Payton would make the All-star game that year. Payton’s production and numbers would increase every year since his rookie year.
But Payton and the Sonics made history in a negative way and would suffer one of the worse losses in NBA history. They would face the 8th seed the Denver Nuggets and win the first 2 games out of the best of 5 series. The Nuggets would tie the series and force game 5 into overtime. The Sonics would come up short and lose. They were also eliminated the following year in the first round making it back to back.
With George Karl being criticized and his Job in jeopardy during the start of the 1995/96 season, the Seattle Supersonics posted their best franchise record yet going 64 and 18. Leading the charge was Gary Payton with a chip on his shoulder and Shawn kemp both in their prime. They swept the two-time champions Houston Rockets and advance to the Western Conference finals and winning, beating Karl Malone, John Stockton and the Utah Jazz in 7 games advancing to the NBA Finals.
There they would face the 72-10 Micheal Jordan and the Chicago Bulls considered the best team in NBA History, Gary would not guard Jordan until the 4th game of the series due to a muscle pull in his calf. George Karl was trying to preserve Payton to play the length of the series due to his injury. Finally, when Payton guarded Jordan in game 4, Jordan only scored 23 pts going 6 for 19 in Fg’s.
During game 5 Jordan scored 26 points. While game 6 Jordan scored 22 points going 5 for 19 in FG’s with Payton guarding him again. Gary made Jordan work really hard to get the ball by denying him the entry pass, while on top of that when he already had the ball Payton was all over him and right on him. Payton did what he does best and trash talk Jordan throughout the whole series.
During the finals when Payton guarded Michael, he shot 41.5% of the field compared to 49.7% for his career. On top of that Jordan averaged 23.5 ppg when Gary Guarded him. George Karl might have made a mistake by not having Gary D him up from the start of the series.
Although they lost in 6 games, Payton is the only player that ever gave Jordan any sort of problems on offense especially in the playoffs as Jordan averaged a career 33.4 points per game in the Postseason.
After that season Gary Payton was named the Defensive Player Of The Year, the first and only point guard ever to win this award. He was in the running again the following year only to lose to Michael Jordan.
From then on the Supersonics posted excellent regular-season records the next couple years while winning division titles. But the sonics just could not get over the hump in the playoffs, not even making the conference finals. The team dismantled, while they fired coach George Karl and a 3 team trade was made sending Shawn Kemp to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Vin Baker to the Sonics in return.
Gary Payton was a Superstar in the league, his numbers would increase after Kemp’s departure. While his best year with the Sonics was the 1999/00 season where he would average 24 Pts, 9 Ast, 6.5 Rebs, and 2 Stl a game. But the Sonics best seasons were long and gone.
The Sonics would not do any better with a new coach or squad, they saw less success than previously with Shawn Kemp and George Karl. After playing 13 seasons with the Sonics, Payton averaged 18 pts, 6.7 Ast, 4 Reb, And 2.5 Stl a game. He made the All-Defensive 1st Team every season from 1993 to 2002. But Payton knew it was his time to win a championship and it wasn’t going to happen in Seattle.
Gary Payton Traded
On the day of the trade deadline in the 2002/03 season, the Sonics traded Gary Payton to the Milwaukee Bucks for Desmond Mason, Ray Allen, Kevin Ollie, and Ronald Murray while Payton finished off the rest of the season with the Bucks averaging 19.6 Pts and 7.5 Ast in 28 games.
Los Angelas Lakers
Payton would not stay in Milwaukee for a very long signing with the Los Angelas Lakers teaming up with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. Also teaming up with the Lakers was the 2nd all-time leading scorer in NBA history Karl Malone. This was one of the very first super-teams to ever assemble which had everyone thinking they would win multiple championships for years to come.
Unfortunately, it didn’t happen Malone and Payton were already out of their prime. Plus Malone would suffer a knee injury, in which many thought that if Karl Malone was treated properly for a knee injury he would have been 100 percent for the NBA finals against Detroit.
By this time there was also a lot of tension between Kobe and Shaq which may have led to Shaq’s departure. Shaq has said that he was the one that got Payton to commit to the team by talking to him on a weekly basis when he wanted out of Seattle.
During that season against the Memphis Grizzlies Payton got into it with coach Hubbie brown in the 3rd quarter of the game, Payton was at the free-throw line shooting his free throws while he heard Hubbie Brown complaining to the referees. Payton couldn’t hold back and and got into an unpleasant verbal conversation with Hubbie. What makes this story a memorable one is that it didn’t end there. They happen to be in the parking lot after the game at the same time, continuing their colorful conversation from the game, nose to nose. Both were very animated, that Shaq and the other players had to separate the two.
Miami Heat
The following year Payton would sign with the Boston Celtics for one year before moving on to sign with the Miami Heat in the 2005/06 season. With Shaq again and Dwayne Wade on the team Gary fully expected to come off the bench and play limited minutes along with a leadership role. But due to Jason Williams injuries, Payton would play nearly 28 minutes a game. The Miami Heat would win the NBA championship that year making this Gary Payton’s first championship.
Payton would later retire after the following season-ending the year with the Heat. Many people still don’t talk much about GP being one of the best point guards to play in the NBA. Hopefully in years to come when Seattle gets another NBA team GP name will be associated with it. Gary says he would like to be apart of the organization somehow and someway. George Karl has also said he would love to coach the Seattle team again.
Hall Of Fame Career
In 2013 Gary Payton was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Along with being one of the best trash talkers that could back up his talk the league has ever seen. Don’t believe me…..
