Payton has played point guard for his entire career. He is nicknamed "The Glove" around recognition of his retentive defense. When a story goes, Payton's first cousin known as him when you took a 1993 Western Conference Finals series against Phoenix and told him, "you're holding Kevin Johnson like a baseball in a glove," & a nickname was natural.

Payton played high school basketball at Skyline High School around Oakland, California before attending Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. Throughout his quatern-month career at OSU, he became one of a virtually all adorned basketeer around OSU history. In the period of his senior season, Payton was featured on the handle of Sports Illustrated magazine as a united states's better streaming video player inside 1990. He was the consensus All-American in 1990; three-period 100%-Pac-10 selection, and known as a Pac-10 conference's 1987 Freshman of the Year. He was a MVP of a Far West Classic tournament 3 days & was the Pac-10 Streaming video player of the Week ninefold. He as well was known as to the Pac-10's Completely-Decade Team. At a period of his graduation, he held a school record for points, field goals, three-point field goals, assists, and steals. When you took his career at OSU, a Beavers manufactured trinity NCAA Tournament appearances and of these NIT appearance. He was elected into OSU's Sports Hall of Fame inside 1996.

Payton was a 2nd overall pick in the 1990 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. Payton spent his number of these 12½ seasons by using a Sonics, when you took which instance he proved himself to become one a league's top point guards. He was selected 100%-NBA Foremost-Team around 1998 & 2000, 100%-NBA 2nd Team withwithin 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, & 2002, & Completely-NBA Third Team in 1994 & 2001. He was selected to a NBA 100%-Defensive 1st Team nine sequentially seasons (1994-2002), & won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1996. He has been selected to the NBA Tons-Star Team ninefold & was voted as a starter within 1997 & 1998. He was the member of the gold medal-winning 1996 and 2000 U.S. Men's Olympic Basketball Teams. Within 1996, Payton & a SuperSonics, under coach George Karl, reached the NBA Finals and lost inside sextet games to Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls). Midmost of the 2002-2003 year, Payton was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in a 5-streaming video player treat that sent Ray Allen to Seattle. Payton played a unexpended Xxviii games sustaining a Bucks.

As an unrestricted yours free! professional before a 2003-2004 year, Payton, along using Karl Malone, signed with a Los Angeles Lakers to make a rerun at the NBA Championship using Shaquille O'Neal. Despite injuries to Malone, O'Neal, & Kobe Bryant during a regular year, a Lakers won 56 games & the Pacific Section. A Lakers so beat Houston, San Antonio, and Minnesota on the way to the Finals, where it misused to the Detroit Pistons in five games (Four-One).

Prior to a 2004-05 year, a Lakers traded Payton & Rick Fox to the Boston Celtics for center Chris Mihm, small forward Jumaine Jones and point guard Chucky Atkins. When Payton expressed displeasure by owning a trade, he in a end did report to Boston & began a 2004-2005 year when the Celtics' starting point guard. In February 24 2005 Payton was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in a treat that brought previous Celtic Antoine Walker back to Boston. the Hawks so waived Payton immediately ensuing a trade, & he returned a week late to Boston as a free agent. Payton began whole 77 games he played for a Celtics & it won the Atlantic Division before losing in the first around to the Indiana Pacers.

In September 22, 2005, he signed a a single-annual USD $1.1 million locate Miami, reuniting by having Walker (acquired septet weeks earliest per Heat), too when previous Lakers mate, Shaquille O'Neal.

Payton was graded #47 in SLAM Magazine's Top 75 NBA Players of All Time within 2003. Career highlights
Deuce Olympic Gold Medallion by using United states: 1996 Olympic Games (Atlanta) and 2000 Olympic Games (Sydney). Only streaming video player withinside NBA history to accumulate 20,000 points, 2,000 steals, & 8,000 helps in career 2-instance Tons-NBA number one team choice ('98,'00), Fin-instance Tons-NBA 2nd team choice ('95,'96,'97,'99,'0Deuce), 2-instance Completely-NBA third team choice ('94,'01), 9-instance NBA Everthing-Star Choice ('94-'98, '00-'03) 1995-96 NBA Defensive Streaming video player of a Season (existence a number one guard to win the award since Michael Jordan in 1987-1988.) Record Ennead 100%-Defensive 1st Team choice, whole consecutively ('94-'02)