Gary Payton

Gary Dwayne Payton is an American former professional basketball player. He started at the point guard position. He is best known for his 13year tenure with the Seattle SuperSonics, and holds Seattle franchise records in points, assists, and steals. He also played with the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat, the last with whom he won an NBA championship. He was nicknamed The Glove for his excellent defensive ability. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on September 8, 2013.

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 second 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 fouryear 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 nations best college basketball player. He was a consensus AllAmerican in 1990, a threetime AllPac10 selection, and both the Pac10 Defensive Player of the Year and conference Freshman of the Year in 1987. He was the MVP of the Far West Classic tournament three times and was the Pac10 Player of the Week nine times. He also was named to the Pac10s AllDecade Team. At the time of his graduation, h

Source: Wikipedia