Gary Payton, a renowned basketball player, began his high school career at Skyline High School in Oakland, California. He then pursued his collegiate basketball career at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon.
During his four-year tenure at OSU, Payton established himself as one of the most decorated basketball players in the school's history. His senior year was particularly notable, as he was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine as the nation's best player in 1990. Payton's impressive performance earned him numerous accolades, including being a consensus All-American in 1990, a three-time All-Pac-10 selection, and the Pac-10 conference's 1987 Freshman of the Year.
He was also a dominant force on the court, holding multiple school records, including points, field goals, three-point field goals, assists, and steals, at the time of his graduation. Payton's contributions to the team helped the Beavers make three NCAA Tournament appearances and one NIT appearance during his college career. He was subsequently inducted into OSU's Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.
The Seattle SuperSonics selected Payton as the second overall pick in the NBA Draft following his collegiate career. Throughout his NBA career, Payton received numerous awards and accolades, including being named to the All-NBA First-Team in 1998 and 2000, the All-NBA Second-Team in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2002, and the All-NBA Third-Team in 2001.
Payton's defensive prowess earned him a spot on the NBA All-Defensive First Team nine consecutive seasons (1994-2002),and he was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year in 1996. He was also selected to the NBA All-Star Team nine times, including being voted as a starter in 1997 and 1998.
As a member of the U.S. Men's Olympic Basketball Teams, Payton won gold medals in 1996 and 2000. He was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in February 2003, along with Desmond Mason, in exchange for Ray Allen, Kevin Ollie, and Ronald Murray. The Los Angeles Lakers signed him as a free agent in July 2003, marking the end of his NBA career.
