Apparently, Gary Payton needed a pair of Air Jordans to go along with his reputation for being 'The Glove'. Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Did Gary Payton ask for Jordan's shoes after Game 1 of 1996 NBA Finals?

By Zac Wassink | Last updated May 11, 2020 4:21 PM ET

During Sunday's episodes of the ESPN docuseries "The Last Dance," a clip of Michael Jordan laughing while watching Gary Payton explain how his defense "took a toll" on MJ during the 1996 NBA Finals went viral.

Roughly 24 years after the start of that series between the Chicago Bulls and Seattle SuperSonics, we might have a better idea of why Jordan reacted that way.

On Sunday evening, legendary sports broadcaster Ahmad Rashad tweeted that Payton asked Jordan for his shoes after Game 1 of the Finals:

Mj told me that gary Payton asked him for his shoes after game 1 and that’s when he knew he had him!!! @espn #nba #LastDance
— Ahmad Rashad (@NBATVAhmad) May 11, 2020

The Bulls blew Seattle out by 17 points in the opening game of the series. While the Sonics managed to win two contests out west, Chicago closed Seattle out at home in Game 6 for the franchise's fourth championship of the decade.

As noted by Uproxx's Robby Kalland, Rashad's story remains unconfirmed by neither Jordan nor Payton as of the posting of this piece. It's worth noting, however, that one couldn't blame somebody as competitive as "The Glove" from wanting sneaks from the G.O.A.T., even after a double-digit defeat at Jordan's hands.

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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