Gary Payton had a legendary basketball career. He played the game so well that he is considered one of the best point guards of all time. Payton had his best years on the Seattle Supersonics. He played with them for 13 years. This tenure stretched from 1990 to 2003.

Michael Jordan was also at his peak during the 1990s. He won his six championships during that decade. During this time, Gary Payton and Michael Jordan had a huge rivalry. Both of them were extremely competitive players and always got into each other’s faces.

Gary Payton talked about his rivalry with Michael Jordan in an interview with DJ Vlad. Payton recalls an incident where Jordan told him “Don’t ever talk s**t to Black Jesus”. Payton’s reply to this was “I don’t care about Black Jesus. I don’t care about none of that”.

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Payton always took out his best whenever his team faced Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. He took it as a challenge. “They were always considering him as the best offensive player, and me the best defensive player”, says Payton. Payton’s mentality was that both players are at the top of their positions and are just playing ball. Payton respects Jordan’s talent. However, Payton also said, “I don’t bow down to nobody”.

Gary Payton’s career 

Gary Payton was one of the best point guards ever in the NBA. His defensive capabilities as a point guard were unmatched. His nickname was ‘The Glove’, based on his ability to steal the ball. Moreover, he is the only point guard to ever win the Defensive Player of the Year Award.

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Payton’s defensive capability was extraordinary. He was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team nine times.

Jordan and Payton were roughly the same height and build. Both of them were constantly in the debate of who was better. Payton explained it as two rams colliding. There was no bad blood between the two, just two players with competitive spirits.

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Gary Payton won his NBA championship with Miami Heat in 2006. Additionally, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013. He was, by definition, the most complete guard to ever play the game.