Gary Dwayne Payton was born on the 23rd July 1968 in Oakland, California, USA, and is best known for being a (former) professional basketball player, who is considered to be one of the best defenders in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA), playing with the Seattle Supersonics team. He became active in 1990s and is known to the world by the nickname – The Glove.
Have you ever wondered how rich Gary Payton is? According to authoritative sources, it is estimated that Payton’s net worth is equal to $130 million, earned through his successful professional career, which makes him one of the richest basketball players. Additionally to this, he has appeared in various advertisements and had a roles in several movies, which has also added to his overall net worth. Another source of his wealth is coming from his line of clothing named “Glove Wear”.
Gary Payton Net Worth $130 Million
Gary Payton is the son of Al and Annie Payton. His brother, Brandon, played basketball in New Zealand. He grew up in his hometown, and started playing basketball with NBA player Greg Foster, during his attendance at Skyline High School. Later, as a student at the Oregon State Univeristy, he has been regarded as one of the best college basketballers, so he ended up on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. In 1990 he graduated, and was subsequently inducted into OSU’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.
Payton’s professional basketball career began with the 1990 NBA Draft, in which he was selected as the 2nd overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics. He stayed with the team for 13 seasons, and quickly showed that he was a real deal. Thanks to this success, he gained most of his net worth. Although, Payton struggled a bit in his first two seasons, as he averaged only 8.2 points a game, nevertheless he soon shook off his struggles and during the 1990s, formed one of the best tandem partnerships in NBA history, together with Shawn Kemp.
During his time at the Seattle, Payton’s net worth increased not only from the contract he signed with the club, but also through the numerous awards he received, including consecutive All Star appearances from 1994 until 1998 and 2000-2003. Furthermore, in 1996, he won the Defensive Player of the year award, becoming the first ever point guard to win the award. In the same year, he played basketball for the USA in the Olympic Games. Payton also led his team to the 1996 NBA finals, but they eventually lost the series to the Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan.
In the middle of the 2002-2003 season, Payton was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, where he played for the reminder of the season. He soon became the best player for the Bucks, as he averaged 19.6 points and 7.4 assists per game. When his contract was finished, he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers as an unrestricted agent, which further increased his overall net worth. However, he stayed for only one season with the Lakers, as he was traded to the Boston Celtics. Payton was displeased with the trade, but still played as the starting point guard for the team, and led them to the play offs, but they lost to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round.
In 2005, Payton signed with the Miami Heat, a contract that would increase his net worth by as much as $1.1 million, and that same season Payton won his first and only NBA title, as the Miami Heat defeated the Dallas Maverricks in six games. He retired from the basketball court a year later at the end of the 2006-2007 season.
After his retirement, Payton started working for NBA TV as an analyst. In the year 2013, he became an analyst for Fox Sports 1’s Fox Sports Live. This also increased his overall fortune.
Apart from his successful career as a basketball player, Gary has also made several film appearances, including roles in films “White Men Can`t Jump” (1992), “Eddie” (1996) playing Rumeal Smith, and “Fear Not” (2011) as Senator Todd, which also contributed to his net worth.
When we speak about his personal life, the life off the court, we must say that he has been married to Monique James since 1997, with whom he has three children- their residence is in Las Vegas. Payton has another son – Gary Payton, Jr with another unidentified woman: his son Gary plays basketball just like his father, for the Oregon State Beavers. Payton is a very human person, and in 1996 he founded The Gary Payton Foundation to help children in education and sport activities.
