Selected by Seattle as the #2 overall pick in the 1990 NBA Draft, Gary played 13 years with the Sonics before he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in February of 2003. Gary is ranked among the league leaders in assists, steals, minutes, and double-doubles. Gary left Seattle as the Sonics all-time leader in games played, points, minutes, steals, assists, field goals made and three-point field goals made. He has been named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team a record-tying nine consecutive seasons (1994-2002), joining Michael Jordan as the only player in NBA history to attain the feat. In 1996, Gary was NBA Defensive Player of the Year, the first guard to win the award since Jordan in 1987-88. He was selected to the NBA All-Star Team nine consecutive seasons (1994-1998, 2000-2003). Gary played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics before joining the Miami Heat in 2005. On June 20, 2006, the Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks in game six of the NBA Finals and Gary captured his first NBA Championship in his 16th season in the league. As a member of Dream Team III, Gary helped the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team win a gold medal in Atlanta. Gary was selected as a tri-captain along with Jason Kidd and Alonzo Mourning of the 2000 gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic Team.
Gary graduated from Oregon State in 1990 where he finished his college basketball career as the all-time leading scorer in OSU history with 2,172 points. During his senior year at OSU, he was voted College Player of the Year by Sports Illustrated and Pac-10 Player of the Year by conference coaches. Gary 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 named the Pac-10 Player of the Week nine times and also earned a spot on the Pac-10’s All-Decade Team. During Gary’s OSU career, the Beavers made three NCAA Tournament appearances and one NIT appearance.
Gary has made numerous contributions of both time and money to the communities he has been a part of. In October of 1996, Gary established the Gary Payton Foundation. Gary’s vision was to set an example for underprivileged youth to show them what they can become and to motivate them to reach high and pursue their goals. Gary’s commitment to his hometown of Oakland, CA and to Seattle during his 13-year career with the Sonics has allowed him to touch thousands of lives since the foundation’s inception. 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. Gary was named to The Sporting News’ “Good Guys in Sports” list several times throughout his playing career.
Gary Dwayne Payton (son of Al and Annie Payton) was born on July 23, 1968 in Oakland, CA. Gary is nicknamed “The Glove” due to his defensive expertise on the court. He travels the country and overseas doing various promotional appearances for the NBA and currently hosts a weekly radio program on Jamie Foxx’s Foxxhole Radio on Sirius. Gary resides in Las Vegas, NV.
