Gary Payton was one of the best guards in the NBA while playing in the 1990s and 2000s. And due to his success on the court, the longtime Seattle SuperSonics star was recently named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, which recognizes the 75 best players in league history. In an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com, Payton shares his reaction to making the team that features legends such as Michael Jordan, Magic Johson and the late Kobe Bryant.
“It was incredible,” Payton exclusively told PopCulture. “You know, when you hear that you in the hall of fame and then you make the 75 team of 75 years, it’s really telling you that in 75 years they probably picked one player each year and you were that player. And I’m one of them. I can’t come from over California coming off the basic, the playgrounds and the streets and to become this person right now I am is just amazing. And you got to feel proud of it. The one thing that I wish that my mother and father was still living to see this, this was a last thing that my mother and father could see, you know, if they could have, and they would’ve been so proud of what they created and made of me. My parents brought me here. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have the opportunity to do this. So I was just very proud to be a part of that.”
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In Payton’s career, he was selected to the All-Star team nine times, selected to three different All-NBA Team nine times, selected to the All-NBA Defensive First Team nine times, named Defensive Player of the Year in 1996 and won an NBA Championship as a member of the Miami Heat in 2006. But as great as those accomplishments are, there is one that stands out for Payton.
“I think winning the gold medal,” Payton revealed. “I think people don’t understand to put USA on your chest and let millions of people see. Think about this, the people who are out there now in, or at Afghanistan or wherever they at, you know, over overseas and getting bullets and bombs through Adam, and then coming back home. Not really there, not probably with a leg or arm or something like that, with a lot of issues going on and they do this to protect us and for us to be, come and play basketball with no pressure, nobody trying to get us or, try to do anything to make it safe for us. We should be honoring them.”
With Payton being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, he is showing support for small businesses, spotlighting 75 Unfinished Business recipients that are making a heroic impact in their communities. It’s part of the Unfinished Business program sponsored by Hennessy.
“The Black, Latina and the Asian Americans own small businesses across the country,” Payton explained. “They are taking hits. They have to pay life savings and stuff and no… And they’re not on their feet and they’re losing their homes because they’re not making money. They’re losing a lot of things. And I think with this Unfinished Business with Hennessy and the NBA and 17 other NBA teams to support the unfinished business has been around since 2020. They’ve already gave $5 million. Now, we coming right back and getting 2.5 more million to small businesses and communities that are there, plus that we’re doing… There’s recipients that doing above and beyond things for the impact, your communities, we’re helping these people or trying to help.”
