Gary Dwayne Payton, American sportscaster, retired professional basketball player. Founder Gary Payton Foundation, since 1996.
Background
Ethnicity:
His father, Alfred (also called Al), owns a restaurant in Fremont, California, and his mother's name is Annie.
Payton, Gary Dwayne was born on July 23, 1968 in Oakland, California.
American basketball player who is regarded as one of the most tenacious defenders in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA)
Education
Graduate, Oregon State University, 1990.
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 cover of Sports Illustrated magazine as the nation's best player in 1990.
Career
Drafted National Basketball Association, 1990; guard Seattle Supersonics, 1990—2003, Milwaukee Bucks, 2003, Los Angeles Lakers, 2003—2004, Boston Celtics, 2004—2005, Miami Heat, 2005—2007; retired, 2007; studio analyst National Basketball Association television, since 2008; Author: (novels) Confidence Counts, 1999.
Gary Payton of the Seattle Supersonics has two nicknames. Other players call him "The Glove" because of his ability to guard opponents as tightly as a glove fits on a hand. Payton's defensive ability earned him the 1995-96 National Basketball Association (NBA) Defensive Player of the Year award. Stopping high-scoring opponents--along with a sweet shooting touch--made the Sonics point guard an all-star and a member of the 1996 gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic men's basketball "Dream Team III." Payton earned his other nickname--"The Mouth"--through his trash-talking (excessive bragging and celebrating) on the court. His high-octane play has made the Supersonics one of the best teams in the NBA.
Views
Quotations:
Look at Pat. He's won championships and he knows what to do to get that extra oomph, ... Pat probably realized he didn't have that ... and he needed somebody who could make big plays at critical times.
(Gary Payton)
I don't think Shaq really worries about it. I think he wants to play well, but he doesn't really worry about it. ... It's over.
(Gary Payton)
Before (Riley) got here everybody would guard your man and get over. Now he's telling us to pull the trigger if we get beat someone has to take that man and rotate. That's a big difference. It takes time but we're getting there.
(Gary Payton)
I think Pat realized he didn't have that maturity. With Shaq getting hurt and Wade getting hurt, I think he needed someone who could make big shots and big plays. I think he went out and did that.
(Gary Payton)
He's put it to a level where he's like Michael Jordan now. You remember when Jordan was getting to his later stages and he couldn't get to the basket as easy as he wanted to, he started pulling up on jumpers and the mid-range jumps shots. You saw it (with Bryant) when he played Cleveland the other night. He made three consecutive baskets mid-range when he knew everybody was going to him.
(Gary Payton)
It's all about mentality. We play these teams four or five times a year anyway, so we just need to not do the things that caused us to lose to them in the regular season.
(Gary Payton)
And that's what I'm telling Jason right now, ... The way we play defense, the way we help, he should be great...And it's gonna take time, because he's never done it. And I'm gonna stay on him, I'm gonna stay on him a lot.
(Gary Payton)
I think he's so comfortable here. I don't think he wants to move out of this neighborhood. This is just a comfort zone for him.
(Gary Payton)
We've got to win like seven or eight in a row now. We've got to go like 34-16, or something like that. We're at home for four games. We need all four. If we can get that and keep building from where we're going we'll be OK.
(Gary Payton)
It felt good to come out and get a welcome like that, ... It makes you feel like youre at home.
(Gary Payton)
I'm going to try to help Jason as much as possible. He has never had a guy like me to guide him. When I come into camp, I'm going to try to help him. I'm not going to try to beat him up or beat him down.
(Gary Payton)
He fooled us. Usually, we get the tantrum and all of that. He can say some mean stuff. But this time, he went to an opposite approach. I never thought I'd ever see that from him. He must have danced a good three or four minutes. He was good out there, twirling around, light on his feet. We got some spirit from that.
(Gary Payton)
We have people calling from out-of-state who want to come and help. As we begin this recovery, we will serve as a referral service for volunteers.
(Gary Payton)
It'll be a big loss and that's going to hurt us because he adjusts a lot of (shots) in the game. Hopefully, it's just a couple of games or whatever and he'll come back and be with us.
(Gary Payton)
I like him the way he is now. I think he just wanted to get in shape to show people he can do that. Shaq is Shaq when he's big and when he can muscle people around. I think people thought they could muscle him around. He didn't feel comfortable with that. ... It'll be a big difference.
(Gary Payton)