Gary Payton was the kind of player who several others were not fond of. A lot of it had to do with his ability to trash-talk like nobody else. Though fans also thought he spewed a lot of arrogance, they couldn’t help but respect the man for his tenacious defense. So much that the nickname ‘The Glove’ stuck with him all throughout his career because of his crazy ability to steal the ball.

We know the star for his long 13-year tenure with the Seattle SuperSonics, where he holds franchise records in assists, steals, and points. Payton also played with the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, and bagged an NBA championship with Miami Heat in 2006.

When it comes to trash-talking, he is right up there at the top with Michael Jordan. But the way he does it differs greatly from MJ. While Jordan is more of a one-on-one trash-talker, Gary made it known to everyone in the arena about him trash-talking. Undoubtedly, the trash-talking worked wonders and his opposing team would often lose focus from the game.

Even when Payton became a mentor in the latter stages of his career, the trash-talking continued. Since the Hall of Famer made his debut 30 years ago yesterday, Payton revealed what made him trash-talk as a player.

The unique side of Gary Payton that many despised

In a clip, Payton is seen talking about the art of trash-talking. He said, “That was my mentality and I think that’s what made me who I really was. That’s how I had to get pumped up all the time.” 

Shaquille O’Neal appeared in the video and revealed that Payton had no boundaries, he would say whatever he wanted. “The Glove would talk smack to anybody. He would talk about your mother, your father, your kids,” said Shaq.

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Gary continued, “Some people can’t play the game and do the same thing, and do all that talking. I can do that. It was just a gift that I had.”

The greatest frustration wasn’t listening to Gary’s trash-talk, but how brilliant he was at the game when he did it. And if you tried to do the same, you would look like a fool. Many players have tried to emulate Gary’s style of playing, but nobody has even come to it even now.