Gary Payton is one of the best point guards to ever play the game. His unique ability to be effective on offense and a lockdown presence on defense helped turn the then-Seattle SuperSonics into a legitimate contender.
Payton also had some extremely memorable battles with Michael Jordan’s legendary Chicago Bulls teams.
As a result, Payton found himself in the unique position of being able to assess both those Jordan-led Bulls teams and also how scary they were to face off against.
During a recent interview, Payton got extremely honest about his tense battles with Jordan.
“I don’t care about black Jesus, I don’t care about none of that,” he said.
“You ain’t gonna talk crazy or nothing. So, I took it as a challenge to always go against him, he brought everything out of me and they were always considering him the best offensive player and me the best defensive player at our positions.
“I didn’t care about that, I’m not backing down. You play basketball just like I play basketball. I’m talented just like you talented. I don’t bow down to nobody.”
Whether he is giving his blunt reaction to Jordan laughing at him or getting honest about Russell Westbrook’s time with the LA Lakers or explaining why NBA veterans hated Kobe Bryant – Payton always keeps it real.
Paige VanZant knows how to help her husband get over a tough loss. https://t.co/IKDS7v1F44
— Game 7 (@game7__) February 27, 2022
This is just the latest example of that.
What will Payton open up about and go viral for next? Time will tell.
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Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
