No matter which team you support, it’s hard not to respect Gary Payton II’s journey through the NBA system.
The son of nine-time NBA All-Star Gary Payton Sr., Young Glove’s path is very different from his father’s.
But even if Payton II failed to achieve the same success in the league as his father, that didn’t stop him from trying.
After being unselected in the 2016 NBA draft, Payton II joined the Houston Rockets for summer league before being waived the following month.
For the next five years, he went back and forth between G League and NBA teams.
His most recent landing spot was with the Golden State Warriors, initially on a 10-day contract with the Warriors in April 2021, followed by another 10-day deal.
In May 2021, he is under contract for the remainder of the season and for the 2021-22 season. Finally, his time came, and he finally got the opportunity he had longed for his whole life.
until the plug is unplugged.
Warriors general manager Bob Myers had to break the news Speaking to Payton II, they waived him before the start of the 2021-22 season.
“At that time, I was numb to receiving this kind of news,” Payton said in a post by Players Forum on Friday. “I’m always assuming the worst. I guess it’s like a protective shell that I’ve created for myself so that I don’t get too hopeful about NBA stuff. But still…it feels a little different this time.”
Of course, Peyton II was cut, but that didn’t stop him from recognizing his position And use it to the best of your ability.
After Miles broke the news to Payton II, his immediate response to the general manager turned out to be a direct reflection of his character on and off the court.
“This is the bay, you know what I’m talking about? I don’t want to just turn the page,” Peyton II wrote. “So I thought, Fk it. Yes, I was cut, but I’m going to stay here and train with the team anyway.
“Ha! I don’t even know if this is allowed. But I want to stay on the team’s radar and let them know this is where I want to be. So after Bob told me the news, I was like, ‘Hmmm’ , well, you know what… can I still come in tomorrow? Working out with a team, like… being around? “
Myers, who chose to agree, changed the game for Peyton II.
Even though he’s not part of the Warriors, his loyalty to Golden State remains.
“Bob said I could hang out, so that’s what I did,” Peyton II wrote. “And I remember telling my agent at the time, ‘Hey, if I explicitly give up and someone calls me and tells them I really just want to go back to the Warriors first’ and that’s all I felt at the time. Somehow, I’m back on this team.
A few days later, Payton II found himself in a room for a meeting he may never forget.
“They called me into the meeting room and was like, ‘GP — we saw you, man. You put together the team. You got a spot on the roster. I’ll never forget that moment,'” he said. “Feels great.
Fast forward a few months later, and Payton II is a huge part of the Warriors’ current playoff roster.
Peyton II’s hard work and dedication earned himself A spot in the Warriors’ starting lineup Games 1 and 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Memphis Grizzlies until he fractured his left elbow A heartbreaking attack on his playoff hero ambitions.
After all the adversity, Payton II was finally back where he felt he belonged — on the NBA’s biggest stage — and it was taken away in seconds.
related: Wiggins questioned in Game 3 against Mavericks with ankle soreness
Still, he refuses to bow his head and will continue to do what he has had to do throughout his career: don’t give up.
“I don’t have time to waste time thinking about the bad things that happened, or feel sorry for myself,” Peyton II wrote. To be a part of it all…I don’t take it for granted. I cherish every minute. I know how lucky I am. “
Peyton II Progressing well During his recovery and will be re-evaluated on May 27, which will be after a possible Game 5 of the Western Conference finals.
It’s unclear if we’ll see Payton II again this postseason, but the Warriors, after a lot of ups and downs this season but haven’t given up, can certainly play by his motto in return. , they are two wins away from their sixth NBA Finals in eight years.
