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Home > Gary Payton Articles > Gary Payton to be Inducted into Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
August 11, 2009
Former Oregon State men's basketball standout Gary Payton is one of seven inductees into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, Mike Rose, executive director of the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and Museum, announced on Tuesday. Payton and the rest of the Class of 2009 will be inducted in a ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 29, at the Multnomah Athletic Club.
"Gary (Payton) is one of the faces of Oregon State basketball and it is great to hear he's been selected for this tremendous honor," Oregon State head men's basketball coach Craig Robinson said. "He is one of the all-time greats in our sport and we could not be happier for him as he enters the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame."
Payton graduated from Oregon State in 1990 where he finished his college basketball career as the all-time leading scorer in Beavers history with 2,172 points. During his senior season at Oregon State, he was voted player of the year by Sports Illustrated and was the Pac-10 Player of the Year.
Payton was a consensus All-American in 1990 and was a three-time all-conference selection. In addition, he was named the Pac-10 Conference Freshman of the Year in 1987. A member of the Pac-10 Conference All-Decade team, the Beavers made three NCAA Tournament appearances and one NIT appearance during his career at Oregon State.
Payton's professional career spanned 17 seasons as he was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1996. Nicknamed "The Glove," Payton was named to the NBA All-Defensive first team a record-tying nine consecutive seasons (1994-2002), joining Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to accomplish the feat.
Drafted by Seattle as the No. 2 overall pick in the 1990 NBA Draft, Gary played 13 years with the Sonics and left the team as the organization's all-time leader in games played, points, minutes, steals, assists, field goals made and three-point field goals made.
As a member of the 1996 United States Olympic Team, Payton helped the squad win a gold medal in Atlanta and followed by earning a gold medal as a member of the 2000 United State Olympic Team. On the 2000 squad, Payton was selected as a tri-captain along with Jason Kidd and Alonzo Mourning.
Hall Passes
Eight Oregonians move into the states' sports legacy
By Cliff Pfenning, OregonSports.com
It may not have a home or much public impact throughout the state, but the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame showed off its collective appeal for a sold-out crowd at the Multnomah Athletic Club Tuesday night for its annual induction ceremony.
Eight Oregon athletes, those who were raised in the state or had playing careers for a team or college in Oregon, were honored as the 30th class of inductees.
Gary Payton, Anna Maria Lopez, Stan and Pete Brock, Chuck Richards, Tom Levak, Jonathan Stark and Jerry Cundari joined the hall, which inducted it first class in 1980.
They all shared stories of their careers in and around the sports world during brief conversations with Master of Ceremonies Bill Schonely.
Payton talked about being recruited to play basketball at Oregon State by famed coach Ralph Miller and how he and a cousin invented his nickname, "The Glove," during his career with the Seattle Sonics.
Stan and Peter Brock, who both had lengthy careers in the NFL, talked about being over-recruited by Oregon State, which led them to collegiate playing careers at Colorado.
Anna Maria Lopez talked about choosing to play volleyball and basketball at USC and the academic discipline the nuns at St. Mary's Academy instilled in her.
Chuck Richards, founder of what is now the Sunset Athletic Club, talked about competing in the 1972 Munich Olympics and watching Steve Prefontaine compete in the 5,000 meters.
Karate master Tom Levak talked about first learning karate because it was the only sport he could afford to take up.
Jonathan Stark talked about turning down an offer to play mixed doubles at Wimbledon with Martina Navratilova, who had called in person. Stark's mother ordered him to call her back and they teamed to win the tournament.
And amateur golf legend Jerry Cundari talked about having learned the sport in a week as a caddy at the Portland Golf Club to avoid losing money to other caddies during their weekly rounds at the course.
The evening, which included a keynote address by The Oregonian columnist John Canzano, is set to be televised on Comcast SportsNet, Nov. 11 following the Portland Trail Blazers' game at Minnesota.
Payton, the final inductee honored during the evening, said that while his playing career lasted just four years in the state, joining the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame had a very special meaning for him. "This is a great honor for me," Payton, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, said. "Even if I do get into the NBA Hall of Fame, this is going to mean more to me because this is where I started.
"People took me in and made me feel like one of their own, and that has always meant a lot to me, so this is a great honor."
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