Gary Payton

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexMale
Full nameGary Dwayne•Payton
Used nameGary•Payton
Nick/petnamesThe Glove
Born23 July 1968 in Oakland, California (USA)
Measurements190 cm / 86 kg
AffiliationsSeattle SuperSonics, Seattle (USA)
NOC United States
Medals OG
Gold 2
Silver 0
Bronze 0
Total 2

Biography

Gary Payton was a two-time gold medalist in basketball for the United States, winning at both the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. Internationally he also won a gold medal at the 1999 FIBA Americas Championship, and a silver medal at the 1989 FIBA Americas, while he was in college.

Payton was a point guard who played in college at Oregon State University. While in college he was a consensus All-American in 1990, and a three-time All-Pac-10 selection. His #20 was retired by Oregon State and he is a member of the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and the Oregon State Sports Hall of Fame.

Payton was drafted in 1990 by the Seattle SuperSonics, and played with them in the NBA through 2003. He then played parts of the next season with the Milwaukee Bucks, before moving around in his last few years. He played successively with the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, and Miami Heat, before retiring after the 2007 season. Payton helped the Heat win the NBA title in 2006.

Payton was known as a defensive specialist, often called The Glove because he stuck so close to the player he was guarding. He was NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1996 and was named NBA All-Defensive First Team for nine consecutive years, 1994-2002. He also appeared in nine NBA All-Star Games, in 1994-98 and 2000-03. Payton was first-team All-NBA in 1998 and 2000, and was named to the second team in 1995-97, 1999, and 2002. He finished his NBA career with an average of 16.3 points/game, 6.7 assists/game, and 1.8 steals/game.

After retiring as a player, Payton did some television commentary work. He and his wife, Monique, were also well-known for their charitable giving endeavors. Among these was The Gary Payton Foundation in 1996, which provided safe places for recreational activity to help underprivileged youth in his hometown of Oakland. He also hosted an annual charity basketball game in support of the foundation.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1996 Summer Olympics Basketball (Basketball) USA Gary Payton
Basketball, Men (Olympic) United States 1 Gold
2000 Summer Olympics Basketball (Basketball) USA Gary Payton
Basketball, Men (Olympic) United States 1 Gold

Special Notes