Tag: Gary Payton

On this day: Gary Payton signs with Boston; Jared Sullinger born; Chick Halbert passes

On this day in Celtics history, the Glove became a Celtic, Sully was born, and Chick Halbert left us.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the storied franchise signed Hall of Fame point guard Gary Dwayne Payton Sr. as an unrestricted free agent. The Glove — as Payton was called as a reference to his fabled defensive prowess — was approaching the twilight of his career at age 36, but still had some high-level play left in the tank to offer the Celtics.

The nine-time All-Star was technically in his second stint with the team, after having been dealt to the Celtics from the Los Angeles Lakers that past August in 2004. He was traded with Rick Fox and a 2006 first-round draft pick that would be used to select Rajon Rondo for Chucky Atkins, Jumaine Jones, and Chris Mihm.

Oddly enough, he was greatly displeased with having been dealt to the Celtics at first and refused to report to the team, but ultimately acquiesced. He was subsequently traded by Boston with Tom Gugliotta, Michael Stewart to the Atlanta Hawks for old friend Antoine Walker.

Gary Payton: LeBron James ‘is not going nowhere’

Even though LeBron James can become a free agent and leave the Lakers this summer, Hall of Famer Gary Payton believes he will stay put.

Over the last couple of weeks, there has been chatter about LeBron James’ immediate future with the Los Angeles Lakers. Two teams, including the Golden State Warriors, reportedly tried to trade for the NBA’s all-time leading scorer just before the trade deadline only to be rebuffed.

James can opt out of his contract this summer and become a free agent, which has led to speculation as to whether he is in his final months as a member of the Lakers.

Hall of Fame guard Gary Payton, who played one season for the Purple and Gold, believes the 39-year-old is going to stay put.

Via Yahoo Sports:

“LeBron did what he wanted — (what) he was supposed to. He said, ‘I’m staying where I’m at,’” Payton told Yahoo Sports right before All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis.

“He’s been traveling too many times, been to Cleveland, you know. He been to Miami, went back to Cleveland. This is his last stop, man.”

“LeBron is not going nowhere. L.A. is his city right now, his town,” Payton said. “Kobe [Bryant] is really … it’s Kobe’s city. But LeBron is taking over now.”

The Lakers struggled during the first half of this season, and James himself contributed to the talk about his future with a cryptic tweet after one of their many inexcusable losses to inferior teams.

But they have won six of their last seven games and 11 of their last 16. It is starting to look like they’re poised for the type of late-season run they had last year when they recovered from a 2-10 start to reach the Western Conference Finals.

James is averaging 24.8 points, 7.8 assists and 7.2 rebounds a game while shooting a high percentage from the field and from 3-point range this season. If he remains relatively healthy, he may have plenty left in his tank beyond this season.

Rich Paul, James’ agent, recently said the 39-year-old “is committed to the Lakers.”

Injury Report: Warriors’ Gary Payton II sidelined indefinitely with torn right calf

The Warriors versatile guard will be sidelined indefinitely after suffering a torn calf against the Kings.

While being eliminated from the NBA’s first in-season tournament with a rough loss to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night, the Golden State Warriors had a pair of players leave the game with injury.

Chris Paul was the first to exit the game with lower leg soreness. Then Gary Payton II left the game and went back to the locker room.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Payton is expected to be sidelined indefinitely after suffering a torn right calf against the Kings.

Via @ShamsCharania on Twitter:

During the start of the 2023-24 campaign, Payton is averaging 5.9 points on 47.9% shooting from the field to who along with 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 17.3 minutes per contest.

Payton’s loss will be a significant hit to the Warriors’ rotation. Without the veteran guard in the backcourt, Steve Kerr and the Warriors will need to lean on a combination of Corey Joseph, rookie Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody and Lester Quinones.

The Warriors face the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday in their first game without Payton.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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Celtics Lab 226: On Boston’s hot start, life after Lakers – Celtics, cannabis biz with Derek Fisher, Gloria Govan

This pod, we explore the state of the Celtics – Lakers rivalry and what alumni have been up to in conversation with Derek Fisher and Gloria Govan.

The histories of the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are forever intertwined via the greatness both ball clubs honed against one another over the decades of their storied rivalry. Lakers legends and Celtics greats have taken their on-court battles to the league’s biggest stage as both have fought to lead the league in titles won, now tied at 17 each.

Iconic Lakers have since helped contemporary Celtics find their way as NBA players as was the case with Kobe Bryant and Jayson Tatum — and former Celtics Hall of Famers now do a tidy business with a different sort of green the basis for the enterprise with Paul Pierce working with Derek Fisher and his wife and partner Gloria Govan.

That ancient rivalry still echoes in the present, and could even see the two old foes square off for Banner 18 in the 2024 NBA Finals if everything breaks right.

Which makes Govan and Fisher ideal guests to explore the state of affairs between the two teams, where they stand to start the season, and what Fisher, Govan, Pierce, Gary Payton Sr., and other Boston alumni are doing with those Los Angeles ties for the latest episode of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast.

The Celtics Lab Podcast is brought to you by FanDuel.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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From rivals to allies: How the Lakers-Celtics battles of Paul Pierce, Derek Fisher planted seeds of green

“We just want to make a difference,” Fisher told Celtics Wire.

Former reality TV star and current entrepreneur Gloria Govan knows how to make the most out of connections, relishing in creating unexpected synergies as she works to professionalize a long-maligned industry finally starting to come out of the shadows as the regime of laws and the stigma surrounding the cannabis industry begin to fade with its prohibition.

It might sound odd to some Boston Celtics fans to hear legendary Celtics forward Paul Pierce and Govan’s husband Derek Fisher are now working to further the field of retail cannabis sales together via her RLNTLSS Brands.

A longtime on-court foe of Pierce during Boston’s battles with Fisher’s Los Angeles Lakers squad in the late aughts, the two now share a common cause in what RLNTLSS describes as “providing comprehensive support to help … establish and expand your cannabis business in a legally compliant and successful manner.”

How many Boston Celtics are in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame?

No team in NBA history has produced more. How many can you name?

With Boston Celtics Hall of Fame Paul Pierce officially part of the incoming 2021 class and big man Kevin Garnett getting his formal induction into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in May 2021 — nearly a year after getting the nod due to the pandemic — all three members of the so-called “new Big Three” of KG, Pierce and Ray Allen have been ensconced in what serves as the Valhalla of basketball.

But they are far from the only Celtics so honored. In fact, there is a veritable host of Boston legends populating the Hoop Hall in Springfield, Massachusetts, just a short drive away from the NBA’s titletown. The Celtics have more players than any other team in league history.

Let’s take a look at the 40 Celtics who have been honored with a Hall of Fame induction.

Complete list of Boston Celtics in the Basketball Hall of Fame

Celtics Wire celebrates the 48 members of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame with ties to the Boston Celtics franchise.

The Boston Celtics are one of the bedrock franchises in professional sports. Legends such as Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Tommy Heinsohn, Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett dazzled fans with their athletic exploits and won the NBA championship in Boston.

A couple of hours down the Mass Pike in Springfield, no fewer than four dozen players, coaches, and contributors with ties to the Celtics franchise have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame over the years, spanning the decades from the first years of the storied ball club’s existence up to the team’s last era of contention.

Below, Celtics Wire celebrates the 49 members of the Hall of Fame with Celtics connections in a photo gallery.

Every player in Boston Celtics history who wore No. 20

Today’s installment focuses on the 31 players who wore No. 20 over the years as of August 2023.

The Boston Celtics have more retired jerseys than any other team in the NBA, but that doesn’t mean the rest of their jerseys have little history of interest tied to them.

In fact, with 17 titles to their name and decades of competitive basketball, their unretired jersey numbers pack in some of the most history not hanging from the rafters of any team in the league. To that end, we have launched our accounting of that history with every player in every jersey worn by more than one Celtics player in the storied franchise’s history accounted for.

Today’s installment focuses on the 31 players who wore No. 20 over the years as of August 2023.

On this day: Young born; Gugliotta signs; Barros, Fortson traded

On this day, former Boston Celtic James Young was born, Tom Gugliotta signed and Dana Barros and Danny Fortson were traded.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, shooting guard James Young was born in Flint, Michigan in 1995. Young would play his collegiate ball with the University of Kentucky Wildcats, where he would make Second Team All-SEC and SEC All-Freshman Team honors in 2014. He would soon after being selected by the Celtics with the 17th overall pick of the 2014 NBA draft.

The Flint native would struggle on both ends of the court at the next level, spending much of his time with Boston’s developmental affiliate in the D League (as the G League was known in that era).

This was of course the Maine Red Claws (now Celtics), where he spent a considerable part of his rookie season.

On this day: Gary Payton Sr. traded to Boston Celtics for Chris Mihm, Jumaine Jones, and Chucky Atkins

On this day in Boston Celtics history, future Hall of Famer Gary Payton, Sr. was traded to the team.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Celtics point guard Gary Dwayne Payton Sr. was traded to the team with one-time Boston draft pick Rick Fox.

In return, the Los Angeles Lakers — Payton’s team at the time — sent back big man Chris Mihm, small forward Jumaine Jones, and point guard Chucky Atkins in the trade. The Glove — as he was often called — was not thrilled about being dealt to the Celtics, and his reticence to join the team would require the trade to be amended after Payton initially refused to report for his physical. The physical had been part of the original deal, as was guard Marcus Banks.

Boston also got out of having to send out a second-round draft pick as part of the renegotiated deal.