The Glove is definitely enjoying the recent success of The Mitten.
Retired NBA legend Gary Payton spoke this week with Alex Didion of NBC Sports Bay Area. In the interview, Payton reacted to the strong run that his son, Gary Payton II, has been having with the Golden State Warriors.
“I’m so proud of what he’s doing,” said the elder Payton. “It’s been six years [since he went pro]. I’m happy that it’s in the Bay Area,. It’s with a good Golden State team and they really found a place for him. They gave him the opportunity he needed. Those other teams wouldn’t let him play this way. I’m so satisfied with it. I knew he could do these things. I knew he could play in the league. He just had to have the right opportunity, and now he does.
“He was around me a lot and he watched what I was doing,” Payton added. “He just has a knack for it, with his long arms, good hands and feet. I used to tell him all the time that if you have good hands and feet, [you] can be a good defender. He moves well, and he’s very active.”
The Basketball Hall of Famer Payton then offered a hilarious quote about the athleticism that his son has flashed as a member of the Warriors.
“He’s just athletic, man,” Payton went on. “I was wondering if the mailman came around when I was out of town. Wherever athletic ability came from, I’m just happy he got it.”
Payton II bounced around numerous NBA rosters and went through several G League stints before finally landing with the Warriors. He began this year as a seldom-used late-quarter defensive specialist but has since carved out an 18-minute-per-game role off the bench. Payton II has even thrown down some poster dunks, which is probably the unexpected athleticism that his father was referring to.
The 28-year-old Payton II may not have gotten his athleticism from his dad, but he does join a growing list of second-generation talents on the Warriors.
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