Johnny Hekker sides with Gary Payton: ‘He put the mitts on Michael Jordan’

Johnny Hekker came to Gary Payton’s defense after ‘The Last Dance’ ended.

There’s been a ton of discussion coming out of ESPN’s popular “The Last Dance” docuseries on Michael Jordan, which wrapped up on Sunday with the final two episodes. One of the most memorable moments from the show was when Gary Payton said he “took a toll” on Jordan in the 1996 NBA Finals with his relentless style of defense.

The result was Jordan laughing repeatedly at the clip, saying he “had no problem with Gary Payton” in the Finals that year. Essentially, Jordan was saying Payton didn’t wear him down, dismissing that notion quickly.

Rams punter Johnny Hekker tuned in to “The Last Dance” like millions of others, and he’s siding with Payton – a fellow Oregon State alumni.

On NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” Thursday, Hekker came to Payton’s defense and said “Gary Payton’s incredible. He put the mitts on Michael Jordan. It’s a fact.” Hekker even went as far as to say “the guy lied on national television,” referring to Jordan.

“I think you give one guy the camera and the other guy can’t really defend himself. Gary put mitts on everybody in the league,” he said. “Defensive Player of the Year for as many years as he played – should’ve been – but he’s just a guy Seattle holds in high regard, that I hold in high regard as a fellow ‘Beav,’ as well.”

Jordan and the Bulls still went on to win the ’96 Finals after getting out to a 3-0 lead, but Payton and the Sonics made it interesting by winning two straight to pull the series back to 3-2.

Payton didn’t particularly care for Jordan’s dismissal on “The Last Dance,” either, saying he “was hot” after watching him laugh at the clip.

“Oh you know I was hot. I was thinking about calling him at the time. … But you know what, that’s what I expect out of Mike because I would’ve said the same thing. I would’ve said the same thing,” Payton said on the “Opinionated 7-Footers” podcast, via For The Win “You know me, B. I’m not gonna admit to nothing, man. I’m not gonna admit to somebody that D’d me up or did nothing.”

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