Gary Payton Coach

The Glove. Hall of Famer. The only point guard to win NBA DPOY for nearly forty years.

Coach Payton is best known for his 13-year tenure with the Seattle SuperSonics, where he holds franchise records in points, assists, and steals. Payton is widely considered one of the best point guards of all time, and was the first point guard to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. Payton was the consummate point guard. He put pressure on defenses with both his scoring and passing ability, and he made up one half of arguably the best alley-oop connection of all time with the terrifyingly athletic Shawn Kemp. Payton remained the mainstay of the Sonics after Kemp’s departure, remaining a perennial All-Star and the primary reason the team continued to contend for the playoffs each season.

Since his retirement as a player, Payton has worked as a respected cable sports analyst. The Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, NBA Champion, nine-time NBA All-Star and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist took on his first pro-sports coaching gig in 2017 with The BIG3, and immediately found success with the Three-Headed Monsters. Payton coached Bivouac to a BIG3 championship in Season 7.