With the title won against the Celtics in June, Gary Payton II imitated his father, champion in 2006 with Miami. The Paytons thus became the fifth father-son duo to register their name on the NBA champion list, after the Thompsons, the Waltons, the Barrys and the Goukas.
If the father waited a long time to win his ring, the son was much faster, but his journey was more complicated and uncertain. He took a long time to find his place in the league and even the former Sonics playmaker had doubts about the level of his offspring.
“One summer, my father told me that I was not a good basketball player”, remembers Gary Payton IIfor the “Truth and Basketball” podcast. “He said I was a weak basketball player…He told me to get a job or get a scholarship because he wasn’t going to pay for my schooling. “
Son’s revenge
Inevitably, when a few years later, Gary Payton II moved to the Warriors and climbed to the top of the league, he then had things to say to his father…
“As soon as the buzzer sounded, I sat down on the bench and felt huge relief. A heavy weight on my shoulders is gone. I got cut, my dad told me what he told me, coaches told me I couldn’t stay ’cause I wasn’t shooting well, I wasn’t going to settle in the league. I didn’t have the words at the time and my dad arrived, I was very excited. I told him he wasn’t the only one with a ring anymore. I had to room him a bit. “
If we listen to the new Blazer, this title is the only thing that can unite the careers of the two men.
“If we got into the habit of getting confused about basketball, him and me, it’s because he always wanted me to do things like him, to grow up like him,” explains Gary Payton II. “I kept telling him that we hadn’t taken the same road. He didn’t understand my path, I didn’t understand his. He was second pick in the Draft, I was not drafted. I got cut, I played in the G-League. Now he understands my path. I did my merry way and it worked. He is proud of me. “
Gary Payton II | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
2016-17 | MIL | 6 | 17 | 36.4 | 11.1 | 60.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 3.3 |
2017-18 * | All Teams | 23 | 10 | 40.5 | 24.0 | 33.3 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 3.0 |
2017-18 * | MIL | 12 | 9 | 39.4 | 16.7 | 66.7 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 2.5 |
2017-18 * | ALL | 11 | 11 | 41.5 | 30.8 | 16.7 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 3.6 |
2018-19 | WAS | 3 | 5 | 62.5 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 3.7 |
2019-20 | WAS | 29 | 15 | 41.4 | 28.3 | 50.0 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 3.9 |
2020-21 | GOS | 10 | 4 | 76.9 | 50.0 | 75.0 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 2.5 |
2021-22 | GOS | 71 | 18 | 61.6 | 35.8 | 60.3 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 7.1 |
Total | 142 | 15 | 54.2 | 32.0 | 57.1 | 0.8 | 2.0 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 5.2 |