Gary Payton
Gary Payton
Gary Dwayne Paytonis an American former professional basketball player. He started at the point guard position. He is best known for his 13-year tenure with the Seattle SuperSonics, and holds Seattle franchise records in points, assists, and steals. He also played with the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat, the last with whom he won an NBA championship. He was nicknamed "The Glove" for his excellent defensive ability. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall...
ProfessionBasketball Player
Date of Birth23 July 1968
CityOakland, CA
He looked pretty good. He just has to get his timing back, and then it's going to be good for us.
We've got to take it upon ourselves to play defense as individuals.
I didn't like him as light as he was. He should have been a little bulkier. That's when he's Shaq Diesel.
I didn't like him as light as he was,
He didn't like the 19 (points) and 10 (rebounds, actually 7.8) he was getting (in the playoffs). This year we'll get him back to 26 and 12 or 13, and we'll be fine.
We're very close, and when he steps up for me like that, it's hard to tell him no.
We all had a skip in our step. We had to go out and prove we can play against a top team. We went out and established ourselves.
Me and him are going to click real, real well, ... I'm going to take him under my wing. I'm going to make sure he doesn't get mad at situations where it's not even necessary.
When I come into camp, I'm going to try to help him,
The simple fact is back in the day when (guard) Alvin Robertson and (guard) Derek Harper were guarding you, they could hand-check you and do everything else and you had to shoot over them. They were making it tough for you. You had to earn everything.
They've got a legit team. You can't go in there and say it's a win. You've got to take those guys seriously now.
A lot of guys are stepping up, a lot of things are happening for us that are good. Everybody's stepping in and playing their roles, so all we think about is winning right now. We're starting to jell a little bit.
This is what we're supposed to be here for. We're supposed to step up for things like this.
They're athletic and young and they're all freewheeling. They're playing really loose, so it's going to be a good challenge.