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Golden State Warriors Free Agent Starts His Own Sports League

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 6:12 AM ET

Gary Payton II, who has spent the majority of his career with the Golden State Warriors, remains a free agent. Since entering the NBA in 2016 as an undrafted rookie, he has recorded career averages of 5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 steals per game, all while establishing himself as a defensive specialist.

With NBA training camp set to start later this month, Payton's NBA future is still in question. However, previous reports indicate that the Warriors are expected to bring him back. Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report even predicts his Golden State return, although he "may need to take a pay cut from last year's $9.2 million to stay."

While Payton awaits what's next in his NBA career, he has made a big move off the court by starting his own sports league — in skateboarding, that is.

According to Alyssa Roenigk of ESPN, the son of NBA legend Gary Payton, along with partners Royce Campbell and Sheldon Lewis, founded the Skate Board Association. Payton highlighted his love for skateboarding growing up as his primary motivation for starting the league, but he also emphasized that he wants "the skaters to be valued" and "change the game for them."

"I was like, 'Why hasn't there been a professional league like the NFL, NBA or NHL for skateboarding?'" Payton shared on what he said after his partners brought the idea to him. "Let's change the sports game and the skateboard game."

Now, the Skate Board Association is gearing up for its first season, set for next summer. It will feature six coed teams, with each squad consisting of six athletes (three women and three men). A total of 18 athletes have already signed nonexclusive contracts with the league, and Payton and company plan to sign 18 more before the league's draft in L.A. at the end of this year.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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