Happy 57th Birthday to Gary Payton

Cover photo: Gary Payton defending for the Seattle SuperSonics. Photo credit: Rocky Widner, NBE

An NBA legend celebrates a birthday on July 23 as Gary Payton turns 57. 

Before he was a 9-time All-Star, 9-time All Defensive Team member and the 1996 Defensive Player of the Year, Payton was honing his game in Oakland, Calif., the same city that bred Jason Kidd, Antonio Davis, Brian Shaw and streetball legend Demetrius “Hook” Mitchell. 

At 13 years old, Payton began to play local summer league ball, where he first learned the art of trash talking. 

After starring at Oakland’s Skyline High School, Payton in 1986 enrolled at Oregon State University (Corvallis, Ore.) where he played for Ralph Miller. As a Beaver, Payton set school records for points, assists, and steals. In 1990, he was a consensus All-American, and three times during his college career was All-Pac 10. 

Payton was selected second overall in the 1990 NBA Draft, behind Syracuse University’s Derrick Coleman. The draft included other future All-Stars Cedric Ceballos, Oakland’s Davis (who is 13 weeks older than Payton), Tyrone Hill, and Jayson Williams. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, then Chris Jackson, was taken by the Denver Nuggets with the third overall selection. 

Payton joined a team that had won 41 games in 1989-90 and had a 20-year-old Shawn Kemp and 30-year-old Dale Ellis. Kemp was one of the league’s electrifying young talents. Ellis was one of the game’s best shooters. Derrick McKey, 23, was a stalwart wing defender. 

In Payton’s rookie season of 1990-91, the SuperSonics won 41 games once again under head coach K.C. Jones. Payton played in 163 of 164 games in his first two seasons, and played 27.4 and 31.5 minutes per game in each of his first two professional campaigns. He averaged seven shot attempts per game as a rookie and 9.1 in his second season. 

Come 1992-93, George Karl was the new head coach in Seattle (he took over 40 games into the previous season), and the Sonics went 55-27. Ricky Pierce led the team in scoring at 18.2 points per game and Kemp averaged 17.8 points and 10.7 rebounds. Four other Sonics finished in double-figures, with the smooth-shooting Eddie Johnson averaging 14.4 points, Payton 13.5 points, 4.9 assists and 2.2 steals, McKey 13.4 points, and Sam Perkins, himself a smooth shooter (“Big Smooth” was his nickname) 12.1 points. The team lost 4-3 to the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals after defeating the Utah Jazz in six games in the first round and the Houston Rockets 4-3 in the Western Conference Semifinals. 

Payton and Kemp quickly became the most prolific lob and dunk duo in the league, with Payton serving them up and Kemp sending them home. From 1993-94 through to the 1997-98 season, Payton was an all-star, including being named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 1995-96 season. 

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Gary Payton All-Star Seasons: 1993-1996

1993-94: 16.5 points, 6.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 2.3 steals, 50.4% FG, 35.1 minutes, 82 games, All-Defensive 1st team, All-NBA 3rd team 

1994-95: 20.6 points, 7.1 assists, 2.5 steals, 50.9% FG, 36.8 minutes, 82 games, All-Defensive 1st team, All-NBA 2nd team 

1995-96: 19.3 points, 7.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds, 2.9 steals (1st in NBA), 48.4% FG, 39 minutes, 81 games, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defensive 1st team, All-NBA 2nd team

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The Sonics won 64 games in 1995-96, and finished with the second highest scoring offense (104.5 points per game) and eighth best defense in terms of points allowed (96.7 per game). Kemp’s 19.6 points and 11.4 rebounds per game led the team, while Payton’s 2.9 steals led the NBA. Detlef Schrempf was a well-rounded, 6 foot, 10 inch forward whose game would seamlessly translate if he played in today’s league. In the first round, the Sonics defeated the Sacramento Kings in four games, swept the Houston Rockets in the second round and defeated the Jazz in seven games in the Conference Finals. Payton scored 29 in games one and four in the first round, 28 in games one and three in the second round, and 24 points with 11 assists in Game 4 of the Rockets’ series. He tallied 25 points in Game 3 against the Jazz and 31 in Game 5 of that series. His highest scoring game in the ‘96 Finals was 23 in Game 5 with 9 rebounds and 6 assists. He registered 21 points and 11 assists in Game 4, which was a 107-86 win for the Sonics. The Sonics also won Game 5 by an 89-78 score, which allowed them to get right back in the series at a 3-2 deficit after losing the first three contests. In Games 4 and 6, Payton was instrumental in holding Michael Jordan to a combined 11-of-38 shooting. 

“MJ knew that I could play against him. I didn’t fear him,” Payton told Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson in March 2025 on the duo’s The Knuckleheads podcast. 

Gary Payton’s All-Star Seasons in 1997 and 1998

1996-97: 21.8 points, 7.1 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 2.4 steals, 47.6% FG, 39.2 minutes, 82 games, 2nd in DPOY, All-NBA 2nd team, 1st team All-Defense

1997-98: 19.2 points, 8.3 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 2.3 steals, 45.3% FG, 38.4 minutes, 82 games, 3rd in MVP, 2nd in DPOY, All-NBA 1st team, All-Defensive 1st team. The Sonics won 61 games, but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 in Western Conference Semifinals.

In the 1998-99 season, Payton averaged 21.7 points, 8.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.2 steals on 43.4% shooting in 40.2 minutes per game. He played in all 50 games in the lockout-shortened season. The ‘99 All-Star Game was cancelled due to the lockout. 

From 1999-00 through to 2002-03, Payton made the last four all-star games of his career. 

With Schrempf and Ellis no longer on the roster, Payton averaged a career-high 24.2 points with 8.9 assists and a career best 6.5 rebounds in ‘99-‘00. He averaged a career-high in attempts (20.3) and shot 44.8% while he played in all 82 games and averaged 41.8 minutes per game. The Sonics won 45 games and lost to the Jazz in the first round three games to two. Payton made both All-NBA 1st team and All-Defensive 1st team and finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. 

Over the next two seasons, Payton averaged 23.1 points, 8.1 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 steals (45.6% shooting) in 41.1 minutes in 79 games (2000-01) and in 2001-02 played all 82 games and averaged 40.3 minutes. In those 82 games, he averaged 22.1 points, a career best 9.0 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.6 steals while being named to the All-NBA 2nd team and the All-Defensive 1st team. The All-Defense honor was the last that he would get that recognition. 

It was during the ‘00-’01 season that Payton registered his career-high in points. On March 4, 2001 in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Payton scored 44 points on 18-of-30 shooting from the field. He also posted 9 assists, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals in the game. The Sonics lost the game 119-111 in overtime. Payton had five other 40-point games in his career. 

Payton played 80 games in 2002-03, his age 34 season. In 52 games with the Sonics, he averaged 40.8 minutes per game, shot 44.8% from the field and averaged 20.8 points, 8.8 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.8 steals. During the campaign that saw him make an all-star team for the final time, Payton was traded after those 52 games to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Ray Allen. In 28 games with the Bucks, Payton averaged 19.6 points and 7.4 assists on 46.6% shooting in 38.8 minutes per game. 

An expiring contract at the conclusion of that season, Payton signed with the Los Angeles Lakers on July 16, 2003. Along with Karl Malone, Payton was part of a veteran duo to go along with Shaquille O’Neal (31) and Kobe Bryant (25). 

The ‘03-‘04 Lakers won 56 games and won the Western Conference. For the final time in his career, Payton played all 82 games (he did so eight times in his time in the NBA), and shot 47.1% from the field (12.5 attempts) in 34.5 minutes per game. He averaged 14.6 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game. 

Payton’s best game of the 2004 postseason came in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals against the Timberwolves, when he scored 18 points and posted 9 assists and 5 rebounds. He made eight of his 11 attempts from the field and 2-of-5 from downtown. In the Finals against the Detroit Pistons, his attempts decreased, with his series high of eleven coming in Game 4. He connected four times in that game for 8 points with 5 assists. Payton did produce other quality playoff games in ‘04, scoring 15 points twice against the San Antonio Spurs in round two, and posting 13 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds in Game 4 of round one against the Houston Rockets. He scored 11 points in Game 1 of that first round series. 

On August 6, 2004, Payton was traded to the Boston Celtics for Chris Mihm, Jumaine Jones, and Chucky Atkins. He appeared in 77 games with the Celtics, averaging 11.3 points and 6.1 assists in 33.0 minutes. 

Payton reunited with O’Neal on the 2005-06 Heat, signing a one-year, $1.1 million deal on September 22, 2005. In 2006, he captured the title that had eluded him in ‘96 and ‘04, with the Heat coming back from 2-0 down to the Dallas Mavericks to win the ‘06 title. Three times in the ‘05-‘06 season, Payton scored 20 or more points. He scored 14 points in Game 1 of the Conference Semifinals against the Pistons and 11 points in Game 2 of the first round series against the Chicago Bulls, and 11 points in Game 2 of the second round against the New Jersey Nets. Payton played 81 games in ‘05-‘06, starting 25. 

In his final season of 2006-07, Payton played 68 games. He finished his career with averages of 16.3 points, 6.7 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.8 steals on 46.6% shooting in 35.3 minutes per game. He started 1,233 of 1,335 total career games. 

In an era now that prioritizes and promotes offense, Payton was what you would describe as a lockdown defender. He picked you up full court, and would talk trash to any and every one. Longtime opponent Kevin Garnett remarked on his podcast KG Certified about how Payton while bringing the ball up the floor would be jawing with defenders, the opposing coach, fans, and anyone else within earshot. 

Talking about his time against Jordan, Payton told Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson on The Knuckleheads podcast: 

“MJ knew that I could play against him. I didn’t fear him.” 

In an interview with Vlad TV, Payton remarked how he respected Jordan for his competitive nature and that MJ’s laughing at Payton in The Last Dance documentary after Payton says “I tired him out and the series changed” was something he respected MJ for as Jordan would not publicly admit that Payton had any impact on him, which would have, in Payton’s mind, showed weakness. 

Said Payton’s former Sonic coach Karl in a vintage interview about his star guard: 

“Gary and I for a year and a half, maybe two years, no one thought we were gonna make it, including me. I remember having a conversation at the Pro Club (a Seattle gym located in South Lake Union) with Gary. Tellin’ him ‘hey, I need this. If you don’t give me this, I don’t think I can coach you.’ And Gary looked at me and said ‘I can give you that’. And, that summer was a positive summer. It moved forward and it just got better and better after that. And Gary is probably one of the 10 guys in basketball that I would consider a good friend from my career of coaching guys. Gary trusts me and believes in me.” 

At 6 foot, 4 inches and 180 pounds, “The Glove” was a fearless player. He serves along with Kidd as the best players to hail from Oakland, as both helped pave the way for future Hall of Famer Damian Lillard, who is another Oakland native.

 In 2013, Payton was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2023, he was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame. 

Happy 57th birthday, Gary Payton.