Gary Payton was a fantastic player and is in the Hall of Fame for a reason. Payton last played in the NBA in 2007 but wants to return to the league in a different capacity. The man famously nicknamed “The Glove” wants to join an NBA coaching staff.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports had the story:
“I have had conversations in the past about coaching, but the timing wasn’t right. I believe I now am ready to coach,” Payton told Yahoo Sports in a phone interview Thursday night. “A lot of young NBA players are a voice away from reaching their true potential. I would like to join an NBA staff where I can help coach, mentor and guide players toward the hard work, focus and determination needed to become a reliable contributor to a team’s success.”
“My rookie year was a rude awakening to the type of talent and competition on the NBA level. That summer and every year after I worked extremely hard to get better at all facets of my game,” Payton told Yahoo Sports. “[Coaches] Tim Grgurich, George Karl, Eric Hughes were the extra voices that helped me become an All-Star, NBA champion and a member of the Hall of Fame.”
“I have knowledge to share and I’m ready to help,” Payton told Yahoo Sports.
Payton was not given the nickname glove for fun and games; instead, he earned it due to being one of the greatest defensive guards in NBA history (no matter what Michael Jordan says). Payton won defensive player of the year in 1995-96 and is a nine-time All-Defense selection. Payton has the pedigree to get into coaching.
Payton, 52, has made media appearances for TNT and NBATV. He does have some coaching experience with the BIG3 in 2017. I would imagine he finds a coaching gig sooner rather than later for a former player of Payton’s caliber.
