Seattle SuperSonics selected Payton as the second overall choice in the 1990 NBA Draft. In his third career game, Payton notched his first double-double after defeating the Nuggets on the road with 13 points and 10 assists.
In a losing effort against the Suns on February 23, 1991, Payton scored his first triple-double of his career by tallying 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. Payton had a low point total of just 2 in the game after that, but he had a career-high 16 assists.
He was one of just three SuperSonics players to hand out 16 or more assists during his first campaign, along with Slick Watts and Nate McMillan.
Was Gary Payton a good defensive player?
Gray Payton was an excellent defender. Payton led the Heat to an NBA title in 2006. For his defensive skills, Payton earned the moniker “the Glove,” and in 2013 he was admitted to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Payton was selected for the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in October 2021.
Up until Marcus Smart’s selection in 2022, Payton was the first point guard to receive the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award throughout its first 39 years of existence. In addition to Michael Jordan, Kevin Garnett, and Kobe Bryant, he was chosen nine times for the NBA All-Defensive First Team.
He was a nine-time member of the All-NBA Team as well as a nine-time NBA All-Star. Gail Goodrich, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, described Payton as “perhaps as complete a guard as there ever was.”
