Player profile Gary Payton

1 player profile

1.1 personality
1.2 playing style
1.3 payton vs. jordan
1.4 durability , later career

player profile
personality

payton looks make pass.

payton known trash-talk. trademark open-mouth, bobbing-head style on court (combined 17 years in league) led payton receiving third-most technical fouls of time (behind jerry sloan , rasheed wallace). this, along other factors, earned payton reputation difficult, volatile, , egotistical presence in locker room, further fueled various fines , suspensions handed out him team management during payton s last few years in seattle.

however, payton became less volatile in later years, , many players, including shaquille o neal , antoine walker, have enjoyed playing payton. in los angeles, boston, , miami, recognized psychological leader , mentor many of younger players. of trash talking, payton has stated never take far...i try talk , mind off game, , turn attention on me , adding accused of trash talking though m not...[referees , spectators] figure re trash talking. talking guy s going on or asking family. 1 of payton s major beliefs mental toughness part of game on-court play. in addition, all-star point guard jason kidd has referred payton mentor way treated kidd growing in same neighborhood of oakland. payton has said own mental toughness developed in days learning play basketball in oakland: learned can friends before game , after game. once game starts, s business. no jive.

payton has appeared in many movies , television shows, , in 2001, gave humorous, televised motivational speech team during nba all-star game.

playing style

payton s nickname of glove in reference defensive skills popularized during 1993 western conference finals series against phoenix.

since payton s career ended in 2007, has been mentioned among all-time greatest point guards. gail goodrich, played hall of fame guard jerry west, said gary payton complete guard there ever was. kevin johnson considers payton certainly...amongst best ever , intimidating...maybe more all-time greats magic johnson, isiah thomas, tiny archibald , maurice cheeks. when asked classify best players in each position of late 1990s , 21st century, nba coach george karl said of payton, don t know else d take @ point guard. jason kidd. well, every time gary went nose-to-nose kidd, gary won matchup.

payton s all-time rankings points (31st) , assists (8th) highlight tremendous offensive contributions made throughout career, recognized defensive contributions. sporting news said in 2000 payton building case best two-way point guard in history , , asked if weigh offense , defense equally, payton best ever? when comparing payton all-time greats, has been said payton arguably best defender of them all, , offensive game better most.

his defensive prowess once described kevin johnson:

think of guys great hands, maurice cheeks , derek harper. gary that. s great individual defender , great team defender. has 3 components covered. s rare.

offensively, payton not particularly strong shooter more physical point guards of era, preferring use 6 4 body frame , strength shield defenders on way basket or posting opponent in isolation play. nonetheless, in prime, payton nba s reigning high scorer among point guards.

he guard have won nba defensive player of year award since michael jordan in 1988. also, he, jordan, kevin garnett, , kobe bryant share record career nba all-defensive first team selections, nine. fourth all-time in career steals. strong all-around player, payton ranks fifth all-time among guards in defensive rebounds though not alone, 12th in offensive rebounds, , 10th in total rebounds guard. among players considered point guards, payton ranks 3rd in defensive rebounds, 5th in offensive rebounds, , 4th in total rebounds, behind jason kidd, oscar robertson , magic johnson.

statistical analysis shows similar players payton include alvin robertson , michael cooper.

payton vs. jordan

payton considered 1 of best defensive opponents of michael jordan, , 2 players had high-profile rivalry culminated in 1996 nba finals. jordan , payton 2 guards have won nba defensive player of year award since 1988, , despite different positions (shooting guard , point guard respectively), matched other reasons. both prodigious trash talkers (larry johnson once named payton, jordan , himself best 3 trash talkers in league), had legendary competitiveness, , 1997 nba preview magazine stated, payton [was] quick, , strong ox , making him kind of player frustrate jordan defensively. payton, @ 6 4 , tough physique, 1 of handful of point guards size , body type guard jordan.

midway through 1996 nba finals, seattle coach george karl made decision assign payton play defense shooting guard instead of normal point guard assignment in order defend jordan. though bulls won series, seattle s (and payton s) defense held jordan , bulls lowest offensive output in nba finals , frustrated best player in game. in first 3 nba finals, jordan averaged 36.3 points per game , had scored @ least 30 points in 14 of 17 games. however, in 1996 finals, jordan averaged 27.3 points per game , scored more 30 points in 1 of 6 games. in game 5 preview after payton had held jordan career nba finals low of 23, nba pregame show described rivalry of 2 strong defensive players renowned competitiveness.

[in game 4, jordan had his] lowest output in finals game, of payton guarding him. though afterwards, jordan refused give payton credit, saying no 1 can stop me, can stop myself. missed easy shots. truth is, jordan finds nba s defensive player of year [payton] annoying. views [young payton] impudent, , love have big game @ [payton s] expense. (nba on nbc preview, game 5)

the sonics won game 21 points , payton held jordan 26 points – jordan s second-lowest-scoring finals game in career point. in game 6, bulls win capture championship, payton played 47 minutes , jordan missed 14 of 19 shots, getting career finals low 22 points. bill walton, commentating nbc @ time, said payton outplayed jordan during second half of series, , seattle coach george karl rue decision hide [payton] king in games of series. during series, payton , sonics held jordan s bulls lowest-scoring quarter in nba finals history. michael jordan never score fewer points in nba finals game 22 points in game 6, , never held under 30 points more twice in finals series, sonics did 5 times.

later, of performance series, payton said you’ve got @ jordan, can’t down on him. if do, s wolf, s going eat everything. knew wasn’t going down. had realize or see if being dog, neighborhood stuff. went @ him. me being me.

durability , later career

many attribute success tremendous work ethic , ability play through injury displayed throughout career. in 17-year career, payton missed 25 games, , @ 1 point held longest active streak consecutive games played, on 300. sporting news noted in 2000 article, durability has been 1 of payton s strong suits. has missed 2 games in 10 seasons , counted on full game s worth of nonstop motion, despite chronic pain requires extensive stretching , regular applications of heating packs. karl malone player log more minutes of playing time payton in 1990s. sports illustrated labeled payton s 2003–04 season best season ever point guard aged 35 or older, exception of john stockton s later years, , payton continued play @ high level advanced in age.

in later years, payton gained recognition clutch performer, hitting several key shots during miami heat s 2006 championship run. in 2006, referred obviously...one of greatest clutch shooters of our time .