The 1990 NBA Draft took place on June 27, 1990, in New York City, New York. This draft produced only one perennial All-Star,Gary Payton. Among the 54 picks, Payton is considered by far the best pick of the draft. Payton went on to be considered one of the greatest point guards of all time.^[1][2] He became a nine-time All-Star, achieved the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 1996, won an NBA Championship with the Miami Heat in 2006 and holds many statistical records during his tenure with the now defunct Seattle SuperSonics.

The player projected to be the top pick by many media outlets and draft analysts was Loyola Marymount's Hank Gathers. Gathers died of a heart attack while playing in the West Coast Conference semifinal game on March 4, 1990.

Round one[link]

Gary Payton, the 2nd pick of the Seattle SuperSonics

Chris Jackson (later Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf), the 3rd pick of the Denver Nuggets

Kendall Gill, the 5th pick of the Charlotte Hornets

Pick	Player	Nationality	NBA Team	School/Club Team
1	Derrick Coleman* (PF/C)	United States	New Jersey Nets	Syracuse-Sr.
2	Gary Payton* (PG)	United States	Seattle SuperSonics	Oregon State-Sr.
3	Chris Jackson (PG)	United States	Denver Nuggets (from Miami)	LSU-So.
4	Dennis Scott (SG/SF)	United States	Orlando Magic	Georgia Tech-Jr.
5	Kendall Gill (SG)	United States	Charlotte Hornets	Illinois-Sr.
6	Felton Spencer (C)	United States	Minnesota Timberwolves	Louisville-Sr.
7	Lionel Simmons (SF)	United States	Sacramento Kings	La Salle-Sr.
8	Bo Kimble (SG)	United States	Los Angeles Clippers	Loyola Marymount-Sr.
9	Willie Burton (SG)	United States	Miami Heat (from Washington via Dallas and Denver)	Minnesota-Sr.
10	Rumeal Robinson (PG)	United States	Atlanta Hawks (from Golden State)	Michigan-Sr.
11	Tyrone Hill+ (PF)	United States	Golden State Warriors (from Atlanta)	Xavier-Sr.
12	Alec Kessler (PF)	United States	Houston Rockets (traded to Miami for Carl Herrera and the rights to Dave Jamerson)	Georgia-Sr.
13	Loy Vaught (PF)	United States	Los Angeles Clippers (from Cleveland)	Michigan-Sr.
14	Travis Mays (PG)	United States	Sacramento Kings (from Indiana)	Texas-Sr.
15	Dave Jamerson (SG)	United States	Miami Heat (from Denver; traded with Carl Herrera to Houston for the rights to Alec Kessler)	Ohio-Sr.
16	Terry Mills (SF)	United States	Milwaukee Bucks	Michigan-Sr.
17	Jerrod Mustaf (F/C)	United States	New York Knicks	Maryland-Sr.
18	Duane Causwell (C)	United States	Sacramento (from Dallas)	Temple-Sr.
19	Dee Brown (SG)	United States	Boston Celtics	Jacksonville-Sr.
20	Gerald Glass (SF/SG)	United States	Minnesota Timberwolves (from Philadelphia)	Ole Miss-Sr.
21	Jayson Williams+ (PF/C)	United States	Phoenix Suns	St. John's-Sr.
22	Tate George (SG)	United States	New Jersey Nets (from Chicago)	Connecticut-Sr.
23	Anthony Bonner	United States	Sacramento Kings (from Utah)	Saint Louis-Sr.
24	Dwayne Schintzius (C)	United States	San Antonio Spurs	Florida-Sr.
25	Alaa Abdelnaby (PF)	Egypt  United States	Portland Trail Blazers	Duke-Sr.
26	Lance Blanks	United States	Detroit Pistons	Texas-Sr.
27	Elden Campbell (PF/C)	United States	Los Angeles Lakers	Clemson-Sr.

Round two[link]

Toni Kukoč, the 29th pick of the Chicago Bulls

Antonio Davis, the 45th pick of the Indiana Pacers

Pick	Player	Nationality	NBA Team	School/Club Team
28	Les Jepsen (C)	United States	Golden State Warriors	Iowa
29	Toni Kukoč (SF)	Yugoslavia ( Croatia)	Chicago Bulls (from Orlando)	KK Split (Yugoslavia, now Croatia)
30	Carl Herrera (PF)	Venezuela	Miami Heat	Houston
31	Negele Knight (G)	United States	Phoenix Suns	Dayton
32	Brian Oliver (G)	United States	Philadelphia 76ers	Georgia Tech
33	Walter Palmer (C/F)	United States	Utah Jazz	Dartmouth
34	Kevin Pritchard (G)	United States	Golden State Warriors	Kansas
35	Greg Foster (F/C)	United States	Washington Bullets	UTEP
36	Trevor Wilson (F)	United States	Atlanta Hawks	UCLA
37	A.J. English (G)	United States	Washington Bullets	Virginia Union
38	Jud Buechler (F/G)	United States	Seattle SuperSonics	Arizona
39	Steve Scheffler (C/F)	United States	Charlotte Hornets	Purdue
40	Bimbo Coles (G)	United States	Sacramento Kings	Virginia Tech
41	Steve Bardo (G)	United States	Atlanta Hawks	Illinois
42	Marcus Liberty (F)	United States	Denver Nuggets	Illinois
43	Tony Massenburg (F)	United States	San Antonio Spurs	Maryland
44	Steve Henson (G)	United States	Milwaukee Bucks	Kansas State
45	Antonio Davis+ (F/C)	United States	Indiana Pacers	UTEP
46	Kenny Williams (F)	United States	Indiana Pacers	Elizabeth City State
47	Derek Strong (F)	United States	Philadelphia 76ers	Xavier
48	Cedric Ceballos+ (F)	United States	Phoenix Suns	Cal State Fullerton
49	Phil Henderson (SG)	United States	Dallas Mavericks	Duke
50	Miloš Babić (C)	Yugoslavia ( Serbia)	Phoenix Suns	Tennessee Tech
51	Tony Smith (C)	United States	Los Angeles Lakers (from San Antonio)	Marquette
52	Stefano Rusconi (PF/C)	Italy	Cleveland Cavaliers	Ranger Varese(Italy)
53	Abdul Shamsid-Deen (C)	United States	Seattle SuperSonics	Providence
54	Sean Higgins (G/F)	United States	San Antonio Spurs (from L.A. Lakers)	Michigan

References[link]

External links[link]

• 1990 NBA Draft

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The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the thirty teams from the National Basketball Association (NBA) can draft players who are eligible and wish to join the league. These players are usually amateur U.S. college basketball players, but international players are also eligible to be drafted. College players who have finished their four-year college eligibility are automatically eligible for selection, while the underclassmen have to declare their eligibility and give up their remaining college eligibility. International players who are at least 22 years old are automatically eligible for selection, while the players younger than 22 have to declare their eligibility. Players who are not automatically eligible but have declared their eligibility are often called "early-entrants" or "early-entry candidates". The Draft usually takes place at the end of June, during the NBA off-season. The Draft consists of two rounds with a total of sixty players to be selected.

In the past, high school players were also eligible to be selected. However, starting in the 2006 Draft, high school players were not eligible to enter the draft directly after graduating high school. The rules now state that high school players will gain eligibility for draft selection one year after their high school graduation and they must also be at least 19 years old as of the end of the calendar year of the draft. Contrary to popular belief, they do not necessarily have to have at least one year of college basketball (as some players have chosen to use that year to play professionally in Europe for example).

NBA Draft Lottery[link]

The NBA Draft Lottery is an annual event held by the NBA to determine the draft order. The teams who missed the playoffs in the previous season participate in a lottery process to determine the draft order. The lottery winner would get the first selection in the draft. In the current rules, 14 non-playoff teams participate in the Draft Lottery. The lottery is weighted so that the team with the worst record has the best chance of obtaining higher draft picks. The lottery process determines the first three picks of the draft. The rest of the first-round order of picks is in reverse order of the teams' win-loss record. The lottery does not determine the draft order in the second round of the draft. The term "lottery pick" denotes a draft pick whose position is determined through the lottery, while the non-playoff teams involved in the process are often called "lottery teams". The Draft Lottery system was first used in the 1985 Draft.

Draft selection process[link]

All players must be at least 19 years of age during the calendar year of the draft, and a player who completed basketball eligibility at an American high school must also be at least one year removed from the graduation of his high school class. Restrictions exist on players signing with sports agents and on declaring for, then withdrawing, from drafts—although most of them are enforced by the NCAA rather than the NBA.

In the early years of the draft, teams would select players until they ran out of prospects. The 1960 draft went 21 rounds. By 1974, it had stabilized to 10 rounds, which held up until 1985, when the draft was shortened to seven rounds. By agreement with the National Basketball Players Association, the drafts from 1989 onward have been limited to two rounds, which gives undrafted players the chance to try out for any team.^[1]

Globalization of the draft[link]

The NBA draft has been dominated by collegiate players since the draft was put in place in 1950. In more recent years high school seniors have also had a large impact on the draft. These include players like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard, and Amar'e Stoudemire. However, because of the new age requirement put in place in 2005, high school seniors are no longer eligible for the draft. During the same stretch that high school players were making a large impact on the draft, another group of players started to make their presence felt in the draft.

Selecting foreign players[link]

Foreign players have made a large impact on how teams are now drafting. When the draft began, foreign players were not selected. As the years progressed, things began to change and a few international players were selected. The first foreign player, in the sense of being a national of a country other than the U.S., to be chosen first overall in the draft was Bahamian Mychal Thompson in 1978. However, Thompson's selection was not a true harbinger of the game's globalization, as he had spent much of his childhood in Florida, and had played college basketball at Minnesota. One of the first foreign players selected in the draft to play in the NBA was Manute Bol out of the Sudan in 1983 in the 5th round by the San Diego Clippers. Bol's selection was later deemed ineligible by the NBA. Two years later Bol was drafted again by the NBA this time out of Division II University of Bridgeport in 1985 as the 31st pick overall in the second round. Although Bol did not have a stellar career, he is known for being one of the tallest players ever to play the game at 7 feet and 7 inches. He holds the record for being the tallest player ever to hit a 3 point field goal. The following two years saw two players born outside the U.S. selected first overall—Nigerian Hakeem Olajuwon in 1984 and Jamaica-born American Patrick Ewing in 1985. However, like Thompson before them, both had played U.S. college basketball—Olajuwon at Houston and Ewing at Georgetown—and Ewing had also played high school basketball in the U.S.

By the 1997 Draft, the number of foreign players being drafted dramatically increased. The top pick in that draft, Tim Duncan, became the third international player picked number 1 overall—although his designation as "international" is a matter of semantics, as he is a native of the United States Virgin Islands and, like all USVI natives, is a U.S. citizen by birth. He also had played U.S. college basketball at Wake Forest. Including Duncan, 12 international players were selected in the two rounds of the draft—although half of them, including Duncan and the next two such players picked, had played college basketball. The 1998 draft saw another foreign player picked first overall, Nigerian Michael Olowokandi, but like Duncan he had played college basketball, in his case at Pacific. In 2001 the highest drafted foreign player, Pau Gasol, was selected 3rd overall by the Atlanta Hawks. That would all change the following season when Yao Ming became the first foreign player without U.S. college experience to be selected number 1 overall. Not only was the first overall pick an international player, but five more picks in the first round alone were also from overseas. In total, the 2002 draft produced 17 international players, with only three of them (all second-round picks) having U.S. college experience.

International players selected number 1 overall[link]

As noted earlier, four international players had gone first overall before 2002, although all had played college basketball in the U.S., and one of them was in fact a U.S. citizen by birth. It was not until 2002 that an international player without college experience went first overall—Yao Ming. His selection was not only a watershed moment for the NBA, it also had a large impact in Yao's homeland of China. Hannah Beech (2003) writes "Yao has single-handedly transformed his countrymen from nameless, faceless millions into mighty men who can jam with the very best." ^[2] Yao has helped the NBA grow into a worldwide product. Beech (2003) goes on to write "Ratings for NBA games broadcast on Chinese TV have never been higher than this year as the nation keeps track of its new favorite team, Yao's Houston Rockets." ^[2] For his career Yao is averaging a solid 19.0 points per game, 9.2 rebounds per game, 1.89 blocks per game, and is shooting 82.6 percent from the free throw line.

2001 Draft[link]

From the 2001 draft to the 2006 Draft there were a total of 6 foreign players selected. This trend shows how NBA teams are expanding the way they are selecting players in the draft. Players like Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Yao Ming, Tony Parker, Nenê and Luol Deng are changing the landscape of the NBA to include a wide array of players from all over the globe.

2002, 2005 and 2006 Drafts[link]

The 2002, 2005 and 2006 Drafts saw international players picked first overall. In 2002 the Houston Rockets selected Yao Ming from China first in the draft. Also in 2005, the Milwaukee Bucks picked Andrew Bogut, from Australia by way of the University of Utah, #1. The next year, the Toronto Raptors made Andrea Bargnani the second foreign player without U.S. college experience to be selected number 1 overall.

Other notable past NBA drafts[link]

Some of the most noted NBA draft years are 1984, 1996, and 2003. Each of those is often referred to as one of, if not the, best NBA Draft ever, though the 2003 Draft was too recent to accurately compare. The 2000 NBA Draft has been regarded as the worst in history, with Sports Illustrated calling its first round "a horrible group of players."^[3] The 1986 Draft was notable for the number of solid and even outstanding players selected in later rounds, partly because of drug problems that claimed the life of second overall pick Len Bias and affected the careers of several other first-round picks.^[4][5]

See also[link]

• Draft bust
• Expansion draft
• Haywood v. National Basketball Association
• Mock draft
• NBA Draft Lottery
• NBA first overall draft pick
• NBA territorial pick
• WNBA Draft

References[link]

General

Specific

External links[link]

• NBA.com: NBA Draft History
• Basketball-Reference.com: NBA Draft Index.
• TheDraftReview.com: NBA Draft Index

Gary Payton

No. 2, 20
Point guard
Personal information
Born	(1968-07-23) July 23, 1968 (age 43) Oakland, California
Nationality	American
High school	Skyline (Oakland, California)
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight	180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
College	Oregon State (1986–1990)
NBA Draft	1990 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2nd overall
Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics
Pro career	1990–2007
Career history
1990–2003	Seattle SuperSonics
2003	Milwaukee Bucks
2003–2004	Los Angeles Lakers
2004–2005	Boston Celtics
2005–2007	Miami Heat
Career highlights and awards
NBA Champion (2006) 9× NBA All-Star (1994–1998, 2000–2003) NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1996) 2× All-NBA First Team (1998, 2000) 5× All-NBA Second Team (1995–1997, 1999, 2002) 2× All-NBA Third Team (1994, 2001) 9× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1994–2002) NBA All-Rookie Second Team (1991) Pac-12 Player of the Year (1990) Consensus NCAA All-American First Team (1990)
Career NBA statistics
Points	21,813 (16.3 ppg)
Assists	8,966 (6.7 apg)
Steals	2,445 (1.8 spg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals Men’s basketball Competitor for  United States Olympic Games Gold 1996 Atlanta National team Gold 2000 Sydney National team FIBA Americas Championship Silver 1989 Mexico City National team Gold 1999 San Juan National team FIBA U19 World Championship Silver 1987 Bormio National team

Gary Dwayne Payton (born July 23, 1968) is a former American professional basketball point guard. He is best known for his 13-year tenure with the Seattle SuperSonics, and holds Seattle franchise records in points, assists, and steals. He has also played with the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat, the last with whom he won an NBA Championship.

The only point guard ever to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, Payton is widely considered one of the greatest of all time at that position.^[1][2] He was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team nine times, an NBA record he shares with Michael Jordan, Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant.^[3] Payton got his nickname "The Glove" when Payton's cousin called him during the 1993 Western Conference Finals series against Phoenix and told him, "you're holding Kevin Johnson like a baseball in a glove," and the nickname was born.^[4]

Considered the "NBA's reigning high scorer among point guards" in his prime,^[5] Payton is referred to as "probably as complete a guard as there ever was"^[6] by NBA Hall of Famer Gail Goodrich.

High school and college career[link]

Payton was born in Oakland, California. He played high school basketball at Skyline High School in Oakland, California, along with former NBA player Greg Foster, before attending Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. In his sophomore year, his grades plummeted and was declared academically ineligible. His dad encouraged him to focus on school, and he was allowed to play again. 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 March 5, 1990 cover of Sports Illustrated magazine as the nation's best college basketball player. He was a consensus All-American in 1990; three-time All-Pac-10 selection, and named the Pac-10 conference's 1987 Freshman of the Year. He was the MVP of the Far West Classic tournament three times and was the Pac-10 Player of the Week nine times. He also was named to the Pac-10's All-Decade Team. At the time of his graduation, he held the school record for points, field goals, three-point field goals, assists, and steals — the only record which he still holds today. During his career at OSU, the Beavers made three NCAA Tournament appearances and one NIT appearance. He was elected into OSU's Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.

NBA career[link]

Seattle SuperSonics[link]

Payton was the second overall pick in the 1990 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, and spent his first 12½ seasons with the Sonics. Entering the league to star-studded expectations, Payton struggled during his first two seasons in the league, averaging 8.2 points per game during that span. However, he soon proved himself to be one of the league's top point guards, while, during the 1990s Payton, alongside Shawn Kemp formed the "Sonic Boom" – one of the most thrilling tandems of all time. He earned his first of 9 consecutive All-NBA team selections when he was chosen to the All-NBA Third team in 1994. Payton would go on to make the All-NBA First-Team in 1998 and 2000, All-NBA Second Team in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2002, and All-NBA Third Team in 1994 and 2001. He was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team a record nine consecutive seasons (1994–2002), and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1996, the first guard to have won the award in 8 years. He has been selected to the NBA All-Star Team nine times and was voted as a starter in 1997 and 1998. He was a member of the gold medal-winning 1996 and 2000 U.S. Men's Olympic Basketball Teams. In 1996, Payton and the SuperSonics, under coach George Karl, reached the NBA Finals after winning a franchise record 64 games and lost in six games to Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls.

Later career[link]

In the middle of the 2002–03 season at the trade deadline, Payton was sent to the Milwaukee Bucks in a five-player deal that sent Ray Allen to Seattle. Payton played the remaining 28 games with the Bucks. As an unrestricted free agent prior to the 2003–04 season, Payton, along with Karl Malone, signed with the Los Angeles Lakers to make a run at the NBA Championship. Despite injuries to Malone, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kobe Bryant during the regular season, the Lakers won 56 games and the Pacific Division. The Lakers then beat Houston, San Antonio, and Minnesota on the way to the Finals, where they lost to Detroit four games to one.

Prior to the 2004–05 season, the Lakers traded Payton and Rick Fox to the Boston Celtics for center Chris Mihm, small forward Jumaine Jones and point guard Chucky Atkins. While Payton expressed displeasure with the trade, he ultimately did report to Boston and began the 2004–05 season as the Celtics' starting point guard. On February 24, 2005 Payton was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in a deal that brought former Celtic Antoine Walker back to Boston. The Hawks then waived Payton immediately following the trade, and he returned a week later to Boston as a free agent. Payton started all 77 games he played for the Celtics and they won the Atlantic Division before losing in the first round to the Indiana Pacers.

Payton won his only championship as a member of Miami Heat.

On September 22, 2005, he signed a one-year $1.1 million contract with Miami, reuniting with Walker (who was acquired seven weeks earlier by the Heat), as well as former Lakers' teammate Shaquille O'Neal. Payton finally won his first NBA Championship in his sixteenth season in the league when, on June 20, 2006, the Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks in game six of the 2006 NBA Finals for a four to two series victory. Payton hit two crucial shots in that series: a game-winning shot in game three that ignited the Heat's comeback in the series (after being down 0–2) and, in game five, the Heat's final field goal in a one-point victory.

On September 6, 2006, the 38-year old Payton re-signed with the defending champion Miami Heat on a one-year, $1.2 million contract. During the subsequent 2006-07 NBA season, Payton continued to climb up several NBA all-time lists: he moved from 17th to 8th in all-time NBA games played, passed John Havlicek and Robert Parish to move into 7th in all-time minutes played, and passed Hal Greer and Larry Bird to become the 21st-highest scorer in NBA history.

Personality[link]

Payton is well known for his trash-talk. His trademark open-mouth, bobbing-head style on the court (combined with his 17 years in the league) led to Payton receiving the third-most technical fouls of all time (behind Jerry Sloan and Rasheed Wallace). This, along with other factors, earned Payton a reputation as a difficult, volatile, and somewhat egotistical presence in the locker room, which was further fueled by various fines and suspensions handed out to him by team management during Payton's last few years in Seattle.

However, Payton became much less volatile in his later years, and many players, including Shaquille O'Neal and Antoine Walker, have greatly enjoyed playing with Payton. In Los Angeles, Boston, and Miami, he was recognized as a psychological leader and mentor for many of the younger players. Of his trash talking, Payton has stated "I never take it too far...I just try to talk and get their mind off the game, and turn their attention on me", adding that "sometimes I get accused of trash talking even though I'm not...[referees and spectators] immediately figure you're trash talking. But I could be talking to a guy about what's going on or asking about his family."^[7] One of Payton's major beliefs is that "mental toughness" is as much a part of the game as on-court play. In addition, All-Star point guard Jason Kidd has referred to Payton as a "mentor" for the way he treated Kidd growing up in the same neighborhood of Oakland.^[8][9] Payton has said that his own mental toughness was developed in his days learning to play basketball in Oakland: "You learned that you can be friends before the game and after the game. But once the game starts, it's all about business. No jive."^[10]

Payton has appeared in many movies and television shows, and in 2001, gave a humorous, televised "motivational speech" to his team during the NBA All-Star Game.^[11]

Playing style[link]

Since Payton's career ended in 2007, he has been mentioned among the all-time greatest point guards. Gail Goodrich, who played with hall of fame guard Jerry West, said "Gary Payton is probably as complete a guard as there ever was."^[6] Legendary point guard Kevin Johnson considers Payton "certainly...amongst the best ever" and "just as intimidating...maybe even more so than all-time greats Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Tiny Archibald and Maurice Cheeks." When asked to classify the best players in each position of the late 1990s and early 21st century, NBA coach George Karl said of Payton, "I don't know who else you'd take at point guard. Some say Jason Kidd. Well, every time Gary went nose-to-nose with Kidd, Gary won that matchup."^[5]

Payton's all-time rankings for points (28th) and assists (8th) highlight the tremendous offensive contributions he made throughout his career, but he is most widely recognized for his defensive contributions. The Sporting News said in 2000 that Payton was "building a case as the best two-way point guard in history", and asked "If you weigh offense and defense equally, is Payton the best ever?"^[12] When comparing Payton to the all-time greats, it has been said that "Payton arguably is the best defender of them all, and his offensive game is better than most."^[5]

His defensive prowess was once described by Kevin Johnson:

"You think of guys with great hands, like Maurice Cheeks and Derek Harper. Gary is like that. But he's also a great individual defender and a great team defender. He has all three components covered. That's very rare."^[12]

Offensively, Payton was not a particularly strong shooter but was much more physical than most point guards of his era, preferring to use his 6'4 body frame and strength to shield defenders on his way to the basket or posting up his opponent in an isolation play. Nonetheless, in his prime, Payton was the "NBA's reigning high scorer among point guards."^[5]

He is the only guard to have won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award since Michael Jordan in 1988. Also, he, Jordan, Kevin Garnett, and Kobe Bryant share the record for most career NBA All-Defensive First Team selections, with 9. He is currently third all-time in career steals. A strong all-around player, Payton also ranks fifth all-time among guards in defensive rebounds, 12th in offensive rebounds, and 10th in total rebounds for a guard. Among players considered point guards, Payton ranks 3rd in defensive rebounds, 5th in offensive rebounds, and 4th in total rebounds, behind Jason Kidd, Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson.

Payton vs. Jordan[link]

Payton is also considered one of the best defensive opponents of Michael Jordan,^[13] and the two players had a high-profile rivalry that culminated in the 1996 NBA Finals. Jordan and Payton are the only two guards to have won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award since 1989, and despite their different positions (shooting guard and point guard respectively), they were well matched for other reasons. Both were prodigious "trash talkers"^[14] (Larry Johnson once named Payton, Jordan and himself the best three trash talkers in the league),^[15] had legendary competitiveness, and as the 1997 NBA Preview magazine stated, "Payton [was] quick, and strong as an ox", making him the kind of player who could frustrate Jordan defensively. Payton, at 6'4" and with a tough physique, was one of a handful of point guards with the size and body type to guard Jordan.

Midway through the 1996 NBA Finals, Seattle coach George Karl made the decision to assign Payton to play defense as a shooting guard instead of his normal point guard assignment in order to defend Jordan. Though the Bulls won the series, Seattle's (and especially Payton's) defense held Jordan and the Bulls to their lowest offensive output in an NBA finals and "frustrated the best player in the game."^[16] In his first three NBA Finals, Jordan averaged 36.3 points per game and had scored at least 30 points in 14 of his 17 games. However, in the 1996 Finals, Jordan averaged 27.3 points per game and scored more than 30 points in only 1 of the 6 games.^[17] In a game 5 preview after Payton had held Jordan to a career NBA Finals low of 23, an NBA pregame show described the rivalry of two strong defensive players renowned for their competitiveness.

"[In Game 4, Jordan had his] lowest output in a Finals game, much of it with Payton guarding him. Though afterwards, Jordan refused to give Payton credit, saying 'No one can stop me, I can only stop myself. I missed some easy shots.' The truth is, Jordan finds the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year [Payton] annoying. He views the [young Payton] as impudent, and he would love to have a big game at [Payton's] expense." (NBA on NBC Preview, Game 5)^[18]

The Sonics won that game by 21 points and Payton held Jordan to 26 points – Jordan's second-lowest-scoring Finals game in his career up to that point. In game 6, which the Bulls would win to capture the Championship, Payton played 47 minutes and Jordan missed 14 of his 19 shots, getting a career Finals low 22 points.^[19] By the end of the series, Michael Jordan had been held under 30 points in 5 of the 6 games, including his three lowest-scoring Finals games up to that point (26 in Game 5, 23 in Game 4, 22 in Game 6). Bill Walton, commentating for NBC at the time, said Payton "outplayed" Jordan during the second half of the series, and that Seattle coach George Karl would "rue" the decision to "hide [Payton] from 'the king'" in the early games of the series.^[20] During this series, Payton and his Sonics also held Jordan's Bulls to the lowest-scoring quarter in their NBA Finals history. Michael Jordan would never score fewer points in an NBA Finals game than his 22 points in game 6,^[21] and would never be held under 30 points more than twice in a Finals series, which the Sonics did five times.

Heart of a Champion[link]

Many attribute his greatness to the tremendous work ethic and courage he displayed throughout his career. In his 17-year career, Payton missed only 25 games, and at one point held the longest active streak for consecutive games played, with over 300. Of those games he did miss, many were due to suspensions or coaches' decisions (particularly in his final season), as Payton was highly capable (and highly willing) of playing through injury. The Sporting News noted in a 2000 article, "Durability always has been one of Payton's strong suits. He has missed only two games in 10 seasons and is generally counted on for nearly a full game's worth of nonstop motion, despite chronic back pain that requires extensive stretching and regular applications of heating packs."^[12] The hard working and well-conditioned Karl Malone was the only player to log more minutes of playing time than Payton in the 1990s. Sports Illustrated labeled Payton's 2003–04 season as the best season ever by a point guard aged 35 or older, with the exception of John Stockton's later years, and Payton continued to play at a high level even as he advanced in age.

In his later years, Payton gained recognition as a clutch performer, hitting several key shots during the Miami Heat's 2006 championship run. In 2006, he was referred to as "obviously...one of the greatest clutch shooters of our time".^[22]

Charity and community involvement[link]

Payton has made numerous well-regarded contributions of both time and money to the community.^[23] He set up The Gary Payton Foundation^[24] in 1996 to provide safe places for recreational activity, and to help underprivileged youth in his hometown of Oakland stay in school. He hosts an annual charity basketball game as part of his foundation. Payton and his wife, Monique, have been active in fundraising endeavors for HIV awareness, and Payton has lent many hours and provided tremendous financial support to the Boys & Girls Club of America and the Make-a-Wish Foundation.^[25] Payton has also donated Miami Heat tickets to underprivileged children. For the Christmas of 2003 he took 10 families from the Ronald McDonald house in Los Angeles and let each of the over 40 children have a $100 shopping spree at FAO Schwarz. For Christmas, 2005, he gave 60 children $100 Toys-R-Us shopping sprees as part of the Voices For Children program. In 1999 he wrote an autobiographical children's book entitled Confidence Counts as part of the "Positively for Kids" series, illustrating the importance of confidence through events in his own life. In July 1999, Payton was named to The Sporting News' "Good Guys In Sports" list.^[25] Payton hosted a radio show in early 1998 on Seattle's KUBE 93.3 station. He played hip-hop including The Roots, Raekwon, Outkast, and Cam'ron. He did it for charity during the NBA lockout.^[26]

Support of Seattle basketball[link]

Due to the Seattle SuperSonics moving to Oklahoma City, Payton has openly expressed his desire not to have his retired jersey number in Oklahoma City as part of that team's history. He wishes instead for it to remain in Seattle, where he enjoyed the majority of his career's success and popularity. This seems likely as the SuperSonics' team name, colors, uniforms and trophies are remaining in Seattle for a possible future team to adopt upon arrival.

Payton is featured in the documentary Sonicsgate, which covers the team's relocation from Seattle to Oklahoma City.

Payton is currently working on bringing the NBA back to Seattle. He also stated when the NBA comes back to Seattle he wants to be part of the team so it won't be relocated again.

Personal[link]

Payton is the son of Al and Annie Payton. He married Monique James on July 26, 1997. They live in Oakland and Las Vegas, NV and have three children: Gary Jr., Julian, and Raquel.^[25] Payton also has another son named Gary Payton II with a different mother.^[27] His brother, Brandon, played in New Zealand for a period of time, playing for the Manawatu Jets.

Post NBA career[link]

During the 2008–09 season, Payton served as a studio analyst for NBA TV and as an occasional substitute analyst on The NBA on TNT. He was replaced with Kevin McHale for the 2009–10 season.

Movie and TV appearances[link]

Payton has appeared in White Men Can't Jump (1992), Eddie (1996), Like Mike, and also performed a speaking role in the 1999 comedy film The Breaks.

Payton appeared on Onion SportsDome.^[28]

NBA career statistics[link]

Regular season[link]