Gary Payton is a retired professional basketball player. Gary Payton is most remembered for his 13-year stint with the Seattle SuperSonics, when he set team marks in points, assists, and steals. Gary is without a doubt one of the finest NBA guards of all time.
Payton had a highly successful career in the NBA, having played for almost two decades and featured in a few films.
He was a big success with the Seattle Supersonics and had played basketball since he was a child.
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Early Childhood Development and Education
Gary Payton was born in Oakland, California, on July 23, 1968.
He is of African-American origin and of American nationality.
Al Payton and Annie Payton, his parents, have always supported him to achieve his passion.
Gary has lived with his parents since he was a child and has a wonderful and healthy relationship with them.
Payton is also the brother of Brandon Payton and the sister of Sharon Payton.
Brandon, his brother, was a member of the Manawatu Jets in New Zealand.
We couldn’t uncover any further information concerning his early years.
Payton, on the other hand, acquired a strong interest in basketball during his boyhood.
Payton moved north to Oregon State University in Corvallis to further his education after graduating from high school.
Height and Age
Gary Payton is now 52 years old, but he still has an excellent physique and appears to be in good health. Payton is a Leo, according to horoscopes.
And, based on what we know, those born under this sign are renowned to be ambitious, lively, passionate, and gifted.
Payton is 6 feet 4 inches tall (1.93 m) and weighs roughly 86 kilograms (190 lbs). Regrettably, his further measurements are still unknown.
Not to mention the fact that Dustin is bald and has a pair of black eyes.
Facts of Gary Payton
| Full Name | Gary Dwayne Payton Sr. |
| Date of Birth | July 23, 1968 |
| Birth Place | Oakland, California |
| Nick Name | The Glove |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | African-American |
| Zodiac Sign | Leo |
| Age | 53 years old |
| Height | 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 meters) |
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Hair Color / Style | Bald |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Build | Athletic |
| Father’s Name | Al Payton |
| Mother’s Name | Annie Payton |
| Siblings | Not Available |
| Education | Skyline High School Oregon State University |
| Marital Status | Divorced |
| Wife | Monique James (m. 1997-2012) |
| Kids | Gary Payton II, Raquel Payton, Julian Payton, and Gary Payton Jr. |
| Profession | Basketball player |
| Position | Point guard |
| Affiliations | Seattle SuperSonics Milwaukee Bucks Los Angeles Lakers Boston Celtics Miami Heat |
| Active Years | 1990-2007 |
| Net Worth | $130 million |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
| Merch | Jersey, Funko Pop |
| Last Update | May 2022 |
Net Worth | Salary and Income
Gary Payton is among the highest-paid athlete endorsers and has a $130 million net worth, making him one of the wealthiest basketball players.
Apparently, Gary began earning first $581,305 with Houston Rockets and afterward had the earning of $1,059,707 with the Washington Wizards.
Payton gained his net worth playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle Supersonics, and Los Angeles Lakers. Not only this, but Payton also starred in several movies.
Payton earned roughly $104 million in salaries during his career and gained millions more via endorsements. Payton owns his line of clothes, Glove Wear.
Apart from his basketball career, Gary also earns a large sum of money through sponsorships and endorsement deals.
Charity
Moreover, Payton also believes in giving back to society. He has made plenty of contributions of both time and money to the community.
Gary founded The Gary Foundation in 1996 to provide safe spaces for recreation to benefit poor youngsters in his hometown Oakland.
Nevertheless, he also sponsors an annual charity basketball game as part of his organization.
In 2001, Payton offered his huge contribution of $100,000 to rebuild EOYDC’s gym in his hometown Oakland.
Career in College
Gary continued his education at Oregon State University, where he was named Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year and a three-time All-Pac-10 selection as a conference freshman in 1987.
He was found academically ineligible during his sophomore year when his grades began to deteriorate.
He was able to play again when his father urged him to focus more on his education.
Except for career three-point field goals, Gary held the school record for points, field goals, three-point field goals, assists, and steals at the time of his graduation.
Payton was the three-time MVP of the Far West Classic tournament, nine-time Pac-10 Player of the Week, and a member of the Pac-10 All-Decade Team.
He also made three NCAA Tournament berths and one NIT tournament during his time at OSU and was inducted into the OSU Sports Hall of Fame.
Moreover, during his four years at Oregon State, he established himself as one of the most illustrious basketball players in school history.
Payton was also featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated during his senior year as the top college basketball player in the country.
Professional Career
Payton has a reputation for being one of the best defenders in NBA history.
The basketball player has played for five teams in his professional career: the Seattle SuperSonics, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, and Miami Heat.
Payton began his basketball career with the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1990 NBA Draft.
The Seattle SuperSonics selected him as the second overall pick in the draft, and he stayed with the organization for 13 seasons.
Gray’s first double-double came in his third game when he had 13 points and ten assists in a win over the Nuggets on the road.
In addition, he achieved his first career triple-double in a loss against the Suns, with 18 points, 11 assists, and ten rebounds.
2002-2005
Payton was moved to the Milwaukee Bucks in the middle of 2002, along with Desmond Mason, for Kevin Ollie, Ray Allen, and Ronald Murray.
He spent the final 28 games of his career with the Bucks, averaging multiple points and assists per game.
Payton joined Karl Malone’s Los Angeles Lakers and helped them win their first NBA title, providing offense in games and helping them win 56 games and the Pacific Division.
Payton started all 77 games and also played for Boston prior to the 2004–05 season.
Payton also signed a one-year $1.1 million contract with Miami, reuniting with Walker and former Lakers colleague Shaquille O’Neal. Payton started 25 of the 81 games as a backup to Jason Williams.
2006-2013
Payton signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract with the defending champion Miami Heat in 2006.
Payton continued to climb various NBA all-time lists throughout the next 2006–07 NBA season, eventually becoming the league’s 21st-highest scorer.
Payton worked as an analyst for NBA TV after retiring, then in 2013, he joined Fox Sports 1’s Fox Sports Live as an analyst.
Movies starring
Payton has made appearances in various movies.
He first appeared in White Men Can’t Jump, Eddie, Like Mike, The Lego Movie 2, and also performed a vocal role in the 1999 comedy picture The Breaks.
He has also been present on The Jamie Foxx Show and Onion Sports Dome.
Personal Life | Wife & Kids
Gary Payton married Monique James on July 26, 1997.
By the time they had been together for almost ten years already and even had two children, named: Payton II and Raquel Payton.
However, after their marriage, they welcomed their third kid named Julian Payton.
Unfortunately, their marriage fell apart by early 2012. As a result, Gary and Monique divorced and are lived separate from each other. But, the exact reasons behind their divorce have yet to get disclosed.
This former basketball player is often humorously compared to the basketball’s version of George Foreman for naming his sons after his name.
Likewise, Payton II followed his father’s footsteps and is pursuing basketball and is currently a member of the Washington Wizards.
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15 Shortest NFL Players in History,
Awards and Achievement
Without a doubt, Payton is one of the greatest players of all time and has received a massive list of achievements.
Payton’s determination, hard work, techniques, and playing skills have gained tremendous awards & achievements.
Payton became the first-ever point guard capable of winning the NBA’s defensive player award in 1996.
That year, Payton also won his first Olympic gold medal. Furthermore, Payton’s jersey number 20 was retired by Oregon State Beavers.
Added to that, his team again scored another one in the 2000 Olympics. Simultaneously, on September 8, 2013, Payton got inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Along with that, Payton got awarded with the NBA All-Defensive Team, which is an annual National Basketball Association recognition given to the best defensive players during the regular season.
Not to mention, Payton also got recognized on the NBA All-Rookie Team, which is an honor given to the topmost rookies during their regular season.
Commending his brilliant performance, Gary also received the Pac-12 Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year.
Payton is also a regular All-Star. He got selected to the NBA team frequently and got honored with the USA Basketball Male Athlete of the year for his astounding performance during International matches.
At the same time, he was awarded an NBA championship in 2006 as a member of the Miami Heat.
Social Media Presence
Unlike most of his peers, the former Basketball player is quite active on his social accounts and occasionally posts pictures on his Instagram account.
His Instagram (@gary.payton.20) has 367k followers and his Twitter (@GaryPayton) has 123.3k followers.
