Gary Payton
Gary Payton
Gary Payton is a professional basketball player in the NBA. He was born on the 23rd of July 1968 in Oakland, California. He is a point guard. He went to college at Oregon State. He was picked 2nd in the 1990 draft by the Seattle Sonics. He spent his first 12 and a half seasons with the Sonics.In 2003 he was traded to The Milwaukee Bucks for Ray Allen. He only played 28 games in with the Bucks.
Before the 2003-2004 season started, he decided he wanted to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. His decision was based on the fact that the Lakers would be the team with whom he would have the best chance of winning a championship that had eluded him for so long. He got very close, but the Lakers lost to the Detroit Pistons in the 4th game of the best-out-of-7 championship series. Some people suspect he will rejoin the Lakers for another year of playing.
Career Highlights
44 points in a game against Minnesota in 2001
54 minutes played in a game against Cleveland in 1996
NBA All-Star team 7 times
NBA defensive player of the year 1996
Won gold at Olympics in Atlanta and in Sydney