The NBA experienced a popularity boom in the 1990s, with many dubbing it the Michael Jordan era. With that said, many have noted and covered the Chicago icon's rivalry with a guard who joined him as one of the only two guards at the time to be awarded Defensive Player of the Year: Seattle SuperSonics star Gary Payton. The 1996 DPOY was also lauded for his equally immense contributions on the offensive end of the court. Basketball Hall of Famer Gail Goodrich said it best: The Glove was “probably as complete a guard as there ever was.” Let's dig into Gary Payton's net worth in 2022.
Gary Payton's net worth in 2022 (Estimate): $50 million
Gary Payton's net worth in 2022 is $50 million. This is according to numerous outlets, including Celebrity Net Worth.
Payton was born on July 23, 1968, in Oakland, California. There, he eventually found his way to varsity basketball with Skyline High School. Although the young point guard had academic troubles during his sophomore year, he bounced back and was eventually allowed to play again.
From then on until his four-year career with Oregon State University, Payton stood out as one of the best players in school history. In fact, he stood out enough to be featured in a Sports Illustrated cover story during his 1989-90 senior season. As a highly decorated player on both ends of the floor, Payton's performance and accolades earned him the title as the nation's best basketball player. He further made his mark in OSU history in 1996 by being elected into the Sports Hall of Fame.
The majority of Payton's NBA career came with the Seattle SuperSonics. From 1990-2003, the former second overall pick wreaked havoc as a two-way star in Seattle. Not only did he make history in the 1995-96 season as the first-ever point guard to win the highest defensive honor in the league, he also logged 19.3 points and 7.5 assists per game. Although not considered a particularly great shooter, Payton made use of his frame to shield against defenders or post up in isolation plays. Despite this extremely physical playing style, the one-time NBA champion was recognized for his durability. In fact, Payton only missed an almost unbelievable 25 games throughout his 17-year career.
Payton also had stints with the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics before finishing his career in South Beach. In the then-almost-40-year-old's last two seasons with the Miami Heat, Payton continued to prove his durability, playing over a 20-minute average in both seasons. In fact, the nine-time All-Star's veteran presence eventually helped Miami win its first-ever championship in franchise history.
Throughout a truly impressive 17-season span, Spotrac reports the Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer's career earnings to be just over $104 million.
A bulk of this, of course, came from his 12-season tenure with the Sonics, where he earned $79 million of his salary total. Payton made sure Seattle knew how grateful he was, making numerous charitable contributions to their community, including donating grants and hosting charity games. Aside providing both money and his time, Payton is a big-time supporter of Seattle basketball, even after the team relocated and got rebranded as the Oklahoma City Thunder. There are continuing efforts to bring a team back to Seattle, and Payton would love to see it happen.
The Glove recently went from NBA royalty to proud father after son Gary II's recent breakout season with the 2022 Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors. Aptly nicknamed “Young Glove,” the 6-foot-3 guard worked his way from a G League Defensive Player of the Year Award to 10-day contracts with Golden State to eventually becoming a key defensive contributor off the championship contender's bench. In fact, a very supportive Gary Sr. can often be seen on the sidelines cheering on his son.
The 53-year-old Payton may now be watching from the sidelines, but no one has forgotten his highly decorated basketball career, from OSU all the way to the NBA. For many longtime fans, there has never been a point guard as lethal as him on both ends of the floor.
By the end of his career, Payton was a 2006 NBA champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, 1996 Defensive Player of the Year, nine-time NBA All-Star, nine-time All-NBA member and nine-time All-Defensive First-Team member. The Glove also became the league leader in steals during the 1995-96 season, along with assists and 3-pointers made in 1999-2000. To top it all off, the league honored the Seattle legend as part of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2022.
So, were you at all stunned by Gary Payton's net worth in 2022?
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