Player Profiles: The Legendary, The Past & The Present

Gary Payton is remembered fondly as ?the glove? and un-fondly as ?the mouth?. During the tenure of his 17-year career, Gary Payton was one of the most prolific combo guards of all time. Touted as one of the greatest defenders ever, The Glove is the only point guard to ever win NBA Defensive Player of the Year honors. Payton ranks third all time in steals, seventh in assists and 21st in points. Along with Payton?s impressive career numbers are his equally impressive lineup of signature shoes. Paying homage to his moniker, Nike fabricated the Payton Zoom Flight in 1998 which featured a zip-up glove-like exterior. Following this entry, Nike dropped the Payton Zoom GP which featured a turn buckle strap to achieve that ?glove? fit. In 2000 and 2001 Nike developed the GP II and III respectively, from which, many will recall the completely removable outer sole of the GP III. Payton?s nickname played a large role in the developmental features of the GP?s that Nike rolled out. 2004 saw the birth of Payton?s final signature shoe, the GP IV which marked the end of the Payton line. Payton continued to wear Nike and Jordan Brand in the twilight of his career. He was spotted wearing PEs of the Jordan XIX and XII in his finals campaign with the Lake Show (2004). Without question, Payton left his mark on the NBA?s stat pages and sneaker heads closets? across the country.