Remembering Gary Payton’s hall of fame career
Apr 10, 2013, 7:00 PM | Updated: Apr 11, 2013, 9:40 am
By Brady Henderson
Despite the long list of career accolades – an NBA title and two Olympic gold medals, nine All-Star appearances and the fourth-most steals in league history, to name a few – Gary Payton didn’t want to assume anything while awaiting word on whether or not he would be elected to the hall of fame.
 Gary Payton |
In fact, he didn’t even want to think about it.
“I tried not to think about it because I didn’t want to have a disappointing situation where that day goes by and you didn’t get the call, or you do get the call and they tell you, ‘No, you didn’t make it,’ ” he told “Bob and Groz” on Wednesday.
Payton got the call, and he made it. The former SuperSonics point guard is the headliner of the seven-member class that has been elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The announcement came Monday.
“It feels great. It feels really good, especially for the city of Seattle because I’m going in as a Sonic,” Payton said. “So it’s a big day for both of us.”
Not everyone agreed with Payton’s election to the hall of fame. Mike Greenberg, co-host of “Mike & Mike in the Morning” on ESPN Radio, questioned Payton’s worthiness earlier this week.
In the video below, Bob Stelton and Dave Grosby reflect on Payton’s career and defend his hall of fame credentials.
You can listen to Wednesday’s show here.
