How Payton is building a team behind his new team at College of Alameda originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
ALAMEDA – As Gary Payton discusses inspirations and aspirations, it becomes clear that they come from the same source. Oakland. He was a child of the city that taught him everything he knows. Wherever he goes, no matter the city or country, he takes Oakland with him.
That applies to Payton’s new job at the College of Alameda, where he is the men’s basketball coach. After three seasons at private Lincoln University in Oakland, this represents his second attempt to extend a discount to the city and region that launched his 17-year NBA career that earned him a place in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
“I’m going to get people who are going to play basketball,” Payton told NBC Sports Bay Area. “But they will go to school too. I don’t want them to just think about basketball because not all of them will make it to the pros. Most won’t.
“But they will have to be men. Young people who can grow up and understand how to raise a family and do things like that.”
Payton’s goal, to equip young men with the knowledge to navigate a successful life, is lofty and will not be a solitary pursuit. He intends to take advantage of the vast Oakland hoops network, a collection of players and coaches whose connection to the city goes back to playing for local high schools and AAU squads.
That starts with Jason Kidd and Brian Shaw, former NBA players who now coach in the league. It includes former Indiana Pacers star Antonio Davis, who moved to the Bay Area a few years ago. It includes JR Rider, the 1994 Slam Dunk contest champion who reacted to sabotaging his NBA All-Star potential by building a solid reputation coaching teenagers in Arizona.
Payton, 56, also plans to recruit the likes of Leon Powe and Lester Conner and Greg Foster and Henry Turner and Drew Gooden. and Juan Toscano-Anderson and Tony Ronzone and Brent Merritt and some of Rick Barry’s sons – Scooter, Jon, Brent, Drew – who want to share their time.
For those who don’t know the story, current NBA All-Star Damian Lillard is also on Payton’s list of possible guest speakers; the two share a strong loyalty to Oakland as well as the same agent, Aaron Goodwin, also from Oakland.
The idea is to talk about basketball with those who reached the highest level, but also found ways to contribute to society in retirement.
“The young kids, before they become teenagers, know more about guys like me than some of the 20-year-olds,” Payton said. “They use Google and YouTube and find us. It’s a shame some of the older kids don’t know as much as they should. They should know the story. I want them to know about Mitch Richmond. About Spud Webb. Guys like that. They don’t always know, but they should.
“These guys know about Steph. They know about Anthony Edwards. They look at those guys, but they may not realize that those guys came after us. That’s why every time I see Magic Johnson or Dr. J or Larry Bird, I go up to them and pay my respects.”
No one in Payton’s orbit can reach community college student-athletes quite like his own son. Gary Payton II, as a member of the Golden State Warriors, is current and local. Besides, he knows their terrain better than most.
GP2’s high school journey began with two seasons at Salt Lake Community College, where as a sophomore he was named to the National Junior College Athletic Association All-America team. That was enough to win a scholarship to Oregon State, his father’s alma mater. GP2 became the second Beaver to post a triple-double – his dad was the first – and in both seasons was voted All-Pac-12 first team and the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.
All while overcoming dyslexia.
“I want some of the Warriors to come, maybe after practice when they can, come and say something to my kids,” Payton Sr. said. “My son will be more involved because these kids know him. They look at him. They talk about him. He can come and give support. He is right here. And I know he appreciates our community.”
GP2’s rise from community college to the G-League to the NBA play a crucial role on Golden State’s 2022 championship team is the stuff of movies. It should be noted, however, that two weeks before the Warriors won the NBA Finals, he was called the recipient of the Bob Lanier Community Assist award for “outstanding commitment to serving one’s community.”
After taking the job at NAIA Lincoln in 2021, Payton Sr. cited a desire to work with local young men through basketball but beyond the sport. He moves eight miles down the hill and across the estuary to do the same at CoA. There will be plenty of practices before the season begins Nov. 20 against Skyline College, but Payton’s vision is clear.
“These kids look up to a lot of different people,” he said. “You have to have motivation for them to come in and see different paths for how to set up their lives. Sometimes, kids need to see how their lives can change for the better. We’re not just going to have athletes. We’re going to have business executives come in. I’ve always believed that these kids should see different paths even beyond sports.”
Payton is a nine-time NBA All-Star who has earned a reputation for ferocious defense and relentless dirty talking. That mindset and attitude remains.
But he also learned, with help from Goodwin and others, the importance of wise investments. Payton earned more than $100 million during his career, and his portfolio has since expanded. He will be fine. He wants the same for the young people he will push to reach their potential.
