Gary Payton II Articles - Page 9

Gary Payton and the Seattle SuperSonics faced off against Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson and the Chicago Bulls in the 1996 NBA Finals. The SuperSonics were heavy underdogs since they were going up against a Bulls team that won 72 games in the regular season. On the latest episode of All The Smoke with Matt Barnes […]

On the latest episode of All The Smoke with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, NBA Hall of Famer Gary Payton talked about Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. Bryant and Payton were teammates on the Lakers, but their relationship began before that during an All-Star Game: “Kobe was just a little different,” Gary Payton said […]

The six NBA championship rings on Michael Jordan’s long fingers were not given to him. He earned it by dedicating his whole life to the game. He worked day and night working on his weaknesses as well as strengthening his mind and body. He did all these to outlast his contemporaries, all of whom had […]

Michael Jordan is one of the most notorious trash talkers in NBA history, which is why the Chicago Bulls‘ 1996 NBA Finals matchup against the Seattle SuperSonics was so interesting. After all, Jordan was facing off against another prodigious trash talker in Sonics point guard Gary Payton, who is still lauded as one of the […]

The new generation of NBA fans just sees the Oklahoma City Thunder as, well, the Oklahoma City Thunder. They tend to either forget that the Seattle Supersonics existed, or they may not have any recollection of them at all because they’re too young. But before the Thunder were the Thunder, they were the Supersonics, a […]

Former NBA head coach George Karl revealed on Twitter the top-five starters he has ever coached. Carmelo Anthony (Nuggets) and Gary Payton (Sonics) cracked this list, as well as Shawn Kemp (Sonics), Chauncey Billups (Nuggets), and Ray Allen (Bucks). Karl also gave an honorable mention to Joe Barry Carroll (Warriors) and World B. Free (Cavs). […]

Former Miami Heat teammates Dwyane Wade and LeBron James were arguably one of the most prolific duos the NBA has ever seen, thanks to their unworldly athleticism and excellent court vision. A few days after James reminisced about their time together by watching their old alley-oop highlights, Wade revealed the source of inspiration for their […]

Hall of Fame point guard Gary Payton was known as one of the toughest matchups on defense. The former 6-foot-4 defensive stalwart won the Defensive Player of the Award in 1995-96 as a guard. The retired NBA star was hounding at his position and one of the better trash talkers in an era that was […]

Los Angeles Clippers guard Patrick Beverley is one of the fiercest defenders in the NBA, just like how Hall of Famer Gary Payton was during his playing career. In an interview with Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype, Payton talked about Beverley and why the Clippers guard is a successful defender in today’s NBA. “If I […]

Gary Payton’s playing days may have been long over, but he still sees his game in today’s NBA players — particularly from Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart and Los Angeles Clippers feisty defender Patrick Beverley. In an interview with Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype, Payton revealed that Smart and Beverley remind him of himself. “There are […]

Marcus Smart had another fine performance for the Boston Celtics on Monday, as he helped his team to a 113-101 victory against the Chicago Bulls at TD Garden. The 25-year-old logged 12 points (on 4-of-8 shooting), two 3-pointers, five rebounds, eight assists, and three steals in 33 minutes off the bench. Following the win, Smart […]

Washington Wizards head coach Scott Brooks has apparently liked what he has seen from guard Gary Payton II. Not only that, but the up-and-coming guard and son of the legendary Gary Payton has now made the team in our nation’s capital after initially just receiving a trial run. As a result, Brooks recently took some […]

Gary Payton II has not been able to establish much continuity since entering the NBA in 2016. The son of Hall of Fame point guard Gary Payton had played in just 32 games over the course of the past three years, but Junior is getting another chance with the Washington Wizards…and making it count. Payton […]

The Washington Wizards are close to signing combo guard Gary Payton II, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Fred Katz of The Athletic adds that the Wizards will not have to waive anyone to sign Payton II. The team received a hardship exception, allowing them to carry 16 players on their roster. G League guard […]

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James has moved to ninth on the all-time assists list, passing Gary Payton. Next in the list is Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas which James could likely pass in the next several games. Passing his good friend Chris Paul of the Oklahoma City Thunder will be a tough assignment as […]

For basketball legend Gary Payton, Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers is not telling the truth about their load management antics on Kawhi Leonard. Contrary to Rivers’ claims that it is the Clippers’ philosophy as a team to rest their stars, Payton believes that it is actually Leonard’s initiative to be put on load […]

For retired NBA player and Bay Area legend Gary Payton, the season of the Golden State Warriors is already lost even if it’s just early in December. At 5-22, the Dubs have the worst record in the NBA although not by much. Still, with their star backcourt of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson out for […]

Retired NBA point guard and basketball analyst Gary Payton grew up in the days of the pass-first point guard that looked to serve the table first and foremost before looking for their own shots. This is why it’s no surprise that the former Seattle Supersonics star thought much less of the current breed of superstar […]

Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love would very well be on the move sooner rather than later. With the rumor mill churning more and more each day as the Cavs move further and further out of contention, all signs and reports continue to point toward a trade highlighted by Love. Not only that, but former […]

Former NBA guard and defensive legend Gary Payton did not mince his words when speaking about the Houston Rockets. “The Glove” is not too high on the always dangerous Rockets because of the team’s inability to play defense. Because the Rockets cannot contain their opponents as of late, Payton does not believe that Houston will […]

In 2003, the Los Angeles Lakers approached the offseason looking to end an era with a bang. While other teams were gearing up to stop the awesome duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, the front office wanted to expand. How so? They enlisted the services of two more soon-to-be Hall of Famers in Karl […]

Things got a little chippy between Chicago Bulls guard Kris Dunn and Atlanta Hawks rookie Trae Young on Sunday. Everything led up to Young pulling up from just inside the logo and draining a deep three early in the third quarter. The rookie then gave Dunn a stare down as he walked back to his […]

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James recently criticized his teammates for their lack of urgency after the team lost to the New Orleans Pelicans 128-115. The Lakers, who are trying to make the playoffs with just 23 games remaining, are back under .500 with a 29-30 record. One-time Laker Gary Payton agrees with LeBron’s comments, […]

Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook is now the best scorer in OKC/Seattle SuperSonics franchise history. Russell Westbrook passed Hall of Famer Gary Payton on Thursday against the New Orleans Pelicans. Gary Payton scored 18,207 points with the SuperSonics, but Russell Westbrook was all set to pass him, as he entered Thursday with 18,203 […]

Chris Paul on Monday surpassed Gary Payton’s benchmark of 8,971 assists total on his career tonight. Payton talked about his record being broke on Yahoo Sports’ “The Bounce.” “It’s all good man, congratulations. Fella, I like that. Sorry to me… keep going up, man. Go up the hill. All records are meant to be broke. […]

The Washington Wizards have reportedly added to the team’s roster ahead of yet another week of NBA action. According to a Sunday afternoon report from Marc J. Spears of ESPN, the Wizards are now expected to sign guard Gary Payton II to a 10-day contract. However, the underwhelming Eastern Conference franchise has yet to announce […]

With his eighth point against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant passed Gary Payton on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, moving into 37th place. Durant entered the game with 21,806 career points while Payton had 21,813. Next up on the list is former Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets […]

The Portland Trail Blazers made several additions to their roster on Monday morning. According to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Blazers have agreed to training camp deals with Chinanu Onuaku, Cam Oliver, and Gary Payton II. Onuaku, now 21 years of age, was selected by the Houston Rockets with the 37th overall pick […]

Dallas Mavericks legend Jason Kidd has been proven battle-tested throughout a 19-year career in the league, but even the former champion with the Mavs admits to nearly surrendering to Gary Payton’s suffocating defense. Both Bay Area natives, Kidd had run into Payton, a somewhat unheralded up-and-coming player that was five years his elder, but without […]

Being two of the best point guards of their time, Gary Payton and former Dallas Mavericks star Jason Kidd were fierce competitors. However, despite their on-court rivalry, the mutual respect they had for each other was undeniable. Payton holds Kidd in such high regard that in a recent interview with ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk, the 50-year-old […]

Trey Burke of the New York Knicks is not exactly in the upper echelon of point guards in the NBA today. However, a recently-discovered advanced stat has placed the 25-year-old in elite company with the likes of Chris Paul and Gary Payton. According to NBA analyst Tommy Beer, Burke’s performance last season with the Knicks […]

All-time NBA great and current Big3 head coach Gary Payton is known around the basketball world as a ferocious competitor with a superb defensive mindset. During his heyday, he had the unique ability to lock-down premiere guards and small forwards in the league and made their life a living hell. Throughout his 18-year, The Glove […]

Gary Payton looked back on his 2004 stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, particularly on what went wrong with it. Speaking on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Payton pointed out a spate of reasons on why the legendary team comprised of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal in their prime, Karl Malone, and himself failed to win a […]

In his time, Hall of Fame inductee Gary Payton was one of the most ferocious trash talkers in the league. At 49-years-old and 11 years into his NBA retirement, Payton’s trash talking is as viscous as ever, as proven by his antics in his team’s BIG3 matchup Friday Night. Payton is the head coach of […]

Former NBA star Gary Payton gave some insight to the wave of free agency that will come down on July 1, with many big names bound to make major moves. Among them is soon-to-be free agent Paul George, who has been rumored to consider the Los Angeles Lakers as a potential destination, along with fellow […]

The most talked about news and rumors around the NBA these days is the free agent destination of LeBron James. Just like in 2010 when everyone’s guess was as good as anyone else’s, it is difficult to weed out truth from rumor, or theory from reality, when it comes to what James plans to do […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are hopeful to strike gold as they pursue both LeBron James and Paul George in free agency this summer. While the odds re favoring the Lakers, teams like the Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Cleveland Cavaliers are expected to have legitimate shots at James this summer. NBA great Gary Payton joined […]

On Tuesday night in the NBA TV studio, Hall of Fame point guard Gary Payton gave his opinion on who the top five defensive guards in the league are today. Payton, nicknamed “The Glove” and a nine-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection during his career, gave a very solid list of guards: Chris Paul of […]

The locker room incident between the L.A. Clippers and the Houston Rockets was definitely a bizarre situation. After many reports of players being distractions and sneaking into secret tunnels, one thing was true — a few Rockets players did end up entering the Clippers’ locker room and they were clearly Trevor Ariza and Gerald Green […]