.jpg) Payton with theWashington Wizards in 2020 | |
| No. 0 – Golden State Warriors | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard /small forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1992-12-01)December 1, 1992 (age 32) Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2016:undrafted |
| Playing career | 2016–present |
| Career history | |
| 2016–2017 | Rio Grande Valley Vipers |
| 2017 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 2017 | →Wisconsin Herd |
| 2018 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2018 | →South Bay Lakers |
| 2018–2019 | Rio Grande Valley Vipers |
| 2019 | Washington Wizards |
| 2019 | →Capital City Go-Go |
| 2019 | Rio Grande Valley Vipers |
| 2019 | South Bay Lakers |
| 2019–2020 | Washington Wizards |
| 2021 | Raptors 905 |
| 2021–2022 | Golden State Warriors |
| 2022–2023 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 2023–present | Golden State Warriors |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Gary Dwayne Payton II (born December 1, 1992) is an American professionalbasketball player for theGolden State Warriors of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). As a junior and senior playingcollege basketball for theOregon State Beavers, Payton was named first-teamAll-Pac-12 as well asPac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.[1] He won his firstNBA championship with the Warriors in 2022.
He is the son of Hall of FamerGary Payton.[2] He is sometimes called "Young Glove" in reference to his father's nickname, "the Glove."[3] His other nickname is "the Mitten", but he prefers Young Glove.[4][5][6][7] He is also commonly referred to as "GP2".
Payton was born inSeattle to Monique andGary Payton, while his father was a member of theSeattle SuperSonics. He attendedSpring Valley High School where he lettered two years in basketball and one year in swimming before graduating in 2011. He then enrolled atWestwind Preparatory Academy for the 2011–12 season.
Payton played two seasons atSalt Lake Community College inSalt Lake City, Utah. He averaged 9.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.9 steals per game as a freshman (2012–13) and led the Bruins to a 29–5 overall record and 14–1 mark in theScenic West Athletic Conference (SWAC), where they won the Region 18 Championship and outright SWAC title in 2013. Payton was named First Team All-SWAC and made Region 18 All-Tournament Team as a freshman. In his sophomore year, he averaged 14.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.9 steals per game, earning him Second TeamNJCAA Division I All-American honors, and was voted 2014 Region 18 Co-Player of the Year and Region 18 Tournament Most Valuable Player. The Bruins finished with a 27–7 overall record and won their second consecutive Region 18 Championship.[2]
.jpg)
During Payton's sophomore season at Salt Lake CC he signed aletter of intent to play for his father'salma materOregon State under coachCraig Robinson.[8] Robinson was fired before the start of the 2014–15 basketball season and was replaced byUniversity of Montana head coachWayne Tinkle.[9][10] Having lost their top five scorers from the previous season, Pac-12 coaches picked Oregon State to finish 12th in the 2014–15 season.[11] Instead, the up-tempo Beavers finished 7th with a 4–1 record against the conference's top three teams, Arizona, Oregon and Utah. In their game againstGrambling State, Payton recorded 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, becoming only the second Beaver ever with atriple-double in a game. His father,Hall of FamerGary Payton, is the other Beaver with a triple-double when he had 20 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists against theUniversity of Portland in 1988.[12] Following a home sweep of theLos Angeles schools Payton was named the January 26, 2015Pac-12 Conference Player of the Week.[13] During his first season at Oregon State Payton led his team in multiple categories: scoring, rebounds, and steals.[14] On March 9, 2015, Pac-12 coaches voted Payton to theAll-Pac-12 First Team,All-Pac-12 Defensive Team and named him thePac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.[15]
On February 1, 2016, he was named one of 10 finalists for theBob Cousy Award for top point guard of the year.[16] He was named to the 35-man mid-season watchlist for theNaismith Player of the Year on February 11.[17]
After going undrafted in the2016 NBA draft, Payton II joined theHouston Rockets for the2016 NBA Summer League. On September 23, 2016, he signed with the Rockets,[18] but was later waived on October 24 after appearing in six preseason games.[19] On October 31, 2016, he was acquired by theRio Grande Valley Vipers of theNBA Development League as an affiliate player of the Rockets.[20] On December 3, 2016, he scored 51 points on 20-of-29 shooting to go with 11 rebounds in a 140–125 win over theLos Angeles D-Fenders.[21]
On April 2, 2017, Payton II signed with theMilwaukee Bucks.[22] He made his debut for the Bucks that night, scoring five points in nine minutes off the bench in a 109–105 loss to theDallas Mavericks.[23] Payton II was waived on October 14 as one of the team's final 2017–18 preseason roster cuts.[24] On October 17, 2017, Payton II was given atwo-way contract with the Bucks via theirNBA G League affiliate theWisconsin Herd, meaning he would officially return to Milwaukee for the start of the season.[25] Payton II would have his first start in the NBA on November 22, 2017, against thePhoenix Suns, playing as the starting small forward for the Bucks that night due to team injuries. While he would end the night early due to an injury of his own, the Bucks would win that night in overtime. On December 13, Payton II was waived from the Bucks in favor ofSean Kilpatrick.
On January 15, 2018, theLos Angeles Lakers signed Payton II to atwo-way contract.[26] Throughout the rest of the season, he split his playing time between the Los Angeles Lakers and theirNBA G League affiliate, theSouth Bay Lakers. On the final game of the season, Payton scored a career-high 25 points and also posted a career-high 12 rebounds against theLos Angeles Clippers. He was the last Laker to wear number #23 beforeLeBron James.
On September 4, 2018, Payton signed a training camp contract with thePortland Trail Blazers.[27] On October 13, 2018, Payton was waived by the Trail Blazers.[28]
On December 12, 2018, theRio Grande Valley Vipers of theNBA G League announced viaTwitter that they had re-acquired Payton.[29]
On January 21, 2019, Payton signed with theWashington Wizards on a 10-day contract,[30] and Payton made his debut for the Wizards on January 22 in a 101–87 win over theDetroit Pistons,[31] but was not offered a second 10-day contract.[32]
On February 2, theRio Grande Valley Vipers announced that they had reacquired Payton.[33]
On October 24, 2019, theCanton Charge acquired the returning right fromRio Grande Valley Vipers for Payton in exchange forJaron Blossomgame.[34] Two days later on October 26, 2019, Payton was traded to theSouth Bay Lakers forSheldon Mac and Robert Heyer.[35] Two days later on October 28, 2019, Payton was added to the training camp roster of theSouth Bay Lakers.[36] On November 4, 2019, Payton was included in the opening night roster of theSouth Bay Lakers.[37]
On December 23, 2019, Payton signed with theWashington Wizards.[38] On July 9, 2020, he tested positive forCOVID-19.[39]
On January 11, 2021, Payton was selected 15th overall by theRaptors 905 inthe NBA G League draft,[40] where he averaged 10.8 points on 55.5 percent shooting from the field, 5.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.54 steals in 21.9 minutes per game.[41] At the end of theshortened single-site season in Orlando, he was named the 2021NBA G League Defensive Player of the Year.[42]
On April 8, 2021, Payton signed a 10-day contract with theGolden State Warriors.[43] On April 19, he signed a second 10-day contract[41] and on May 16, he was signed for the rest of the season and the next season.[44]
Payton was waived shortly before the start of the 2021–22 NBA season,[45] but was re-signed by the Warriors on October 19 after he cleared waivers.[46] Payton had a breakout season and started the first two games of theWestern Conference semifinals against theMemphis Grizzlies. In Game 2, he fractured his left elbow when he went up for a fast-break layup but fell hard after the Grizzlies'Dillon Brooks chased him down and hit him in the head while he was in the air.[47]
In Game 5 of theFinals, Payton posted 15 points, five rebounds and three steals in a 104–94 win over theBoston Celtics.[48][49][50] The Warriors went on to win Game 6, where Payton played a major defensive role, and Payton won his firstNBA championship. He and his father became the fifth father-son duo to win an NBA title, with one of the other pairs including Payton's teammateKlay Thompson and his father,Mychal.[51]
On July 6, 2022, Payton signed a three-year, $28 million deal with thePortland Trail Blazers.[52][53] He underwent offseason core muscle surgery, which sidelined him for months. On January 2, 2023, Payton made his Blazers debut, putting up seven points, four assists, two rebounds, and one steal in a 135–106 win over theDetroit Pistons.[54]
On February 9, 2023, Payton was traded back to theGolden State Warriors alongside two second-round picks in a four-team trade involving theAtlanta Hawks andDetroit Pistons, sendingKevin Knox II and five second-round picks to Portland,James Wiseman to Detroit andSaddiq Bey to Atlanta and made his debut on March 26, against theMinnesota Timberwolves.[55][56] On March 6, 2024, Payton surpassed 1,000 career points against theMilwaukee Bucks in 125–90 victory.[57]
On April 26, 2025, in the first round of theNBA Playoffs, Payton scored a playoff career high of 16 points against theHouston Rockets, to help theGolden State Warriors take a 2-1 lead in the series.[58]
On September 29, 2025, Payton re-signed with the Warriors.[59]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won anNBA championship |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | Milwaukee | 6 | 0 | 16.5 | .364 | .111 | .600 | 2.0 | 2.2 | .5 | .7 | 3.3 |
| 2017–18 | Milwaukee | 12 | 6 | 8.8 | .394 | .167 | .667 | 1.4 | .8 | .3 | .1 | 2.5 |
| L.A. Lakers | 11 | 0 | 10.5 | .415 | .308 | .167 | 2.5 | 1.1 | .4 | .2 | 3.5 | |
| 2018–19 | Washington | 3 | 0 | 5.3 | .625 | .500 | — | .7 | 1.3 | 1.0 | .3 | 3.7 |
| 2019–20 | Washington | 29 | 17 | 14.9 | .414 | .283 | .500 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 1.1 | .2 | 3.9 |
| 2020–21 | Golden State | 10 | 0 | 4.0 | .769 | .500 | .750 | 1.1 | .1 | .6 | .1 | 2.5 |
| 2021–22† | Golden State | 71 | 16 | 17.6 | .616 | .358 | .603 | 3.5 | .9 | 1.4 | .3 | 7.1 |
| 2022–23 | Portland | 15 | 1 | 17.0 | .585 | .529 | 1.000 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 1.1 | .1 | 4.1 |
| Golden State | 7 | 0 | 16.0 | .607 | .444 | .667 | 4.3 | 1.1 | .9 | .6 | 5.7 | |
| 2023–24 | Golden State | 44 | 0 | 15.5 | .563 | .364 | .609 | 2.6 | 1.1 | .9 | .4 | 5.5 |
| 2024–25 | Golden State | 62 | 11 | 15.0 | .574 | .326 | .711 | 3.0 | 1.3 | .8 | .3 | 6.5 |
| Career | 270 | 51 | 14.9 | .557 | .340 | .625 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 1.0 | .3 | 5.5 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022† | Golden State | 12 | 2 | 16.9 | .659 | .533 | .667 | 3.1 | 1.3 | 1.2 | .6 | 6.5 |
| 2023 | Golden State | 12 | 3 | 16.0 | .667 | .267 | .667 | 3.7 | .8 | .7 | .5 | 6.8 |
| Career | 24 | 5 | 16.5 | .663 | .400 | .667 | 3.4 | 1.0 | .9 | .5 | 6.7 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | Oregon State | 31 | 30 | 36.3 | .485 | .293 | .663 | 7.5 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 1.2 | 13.4 |
| 2015–16 | Oregon State | 32 | 32 | 34.3 | .486 | .314 | .642 | 7.8 | 5.0 | 2.5 | .5 | 16.0 |
| Career | 63 | 62 | 35.3 | .485 | .302 | .652 | 7.7 | 4.1 | 2.8 | .8 | 14.7 | |
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)