Gary Payton built a Hall of Fame NBA career from 1990-2007. A 6-4 native of Oakland, California, Payton went to Oregon State, where he built a tremendous reputation as a defender and all-around point guard.
He was the second pick in the 1990 draft, taken by Seattle behind Derrick Coleman and ahead of Chris Jackson, now known as Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf.
It took Payton a couple of years to truly establish himself as a top-tier point guard, but he did and then some.
Known as “the Glove,” Payton was mostly celebrated for two things: his superb defense – he was the first point guard to win the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year – and his relentless trash talking. Most people regard Larry Bird as the greatest trash talker in NBA history, but Payton is almost certainly a close second.
The bulk of his career was spent with the SuperSonics, but he played for four other teams, including the Milwaukee Bucks, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Boston Celtics. In 2006, he helped the Miami Heat win the NBA Championship.
This video mostly focuses on Payton’s offensive talents, and some of these plays are spectacular. Incidentally, look for one against the Chicago Bulls where he takes the time to do something most people tried very hard not to do: he woofs at Michael Jordan immediately after scoring.
The man never lacked for confidence.
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