Gift of gab an unmistakable part of Payton's Hall of Fame legacy

We certainly know him now, after 17 loquacious NBA seasons that led him to Springfield, Mass., where he will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame this

Phil Taylor | Sep 6, 2013

Gift of gab an unmistakable part of Payton's Hall of Fame legacy /

Gary Payton made nine All-Star teams and nine All-Defensive first teams in his 17-year career. — Gary Payton made nine All-Star teams and nine All-Defensive first teams in his 17-year career :: Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images

We certainly know him now, after 17 loquacious NBA seasons that led him to Springfield, Mass., where he will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend. Payton, selected to the All-Defensive first team nine times, earned his spot in the Hall on the strength of his lockdown ability on D -- which actually overshadowed his considerable offensive skills -- not his talkative nature. Still, it wouldn't be altogether inappropriate if his Hall of Fame plaque depicted him in another familiar pose -- his mouth wide open, chin jutting out defiantly -- accompanied by a tape of his greatest trash-talking hits playing on an endless loop.

Gary Payton talked trash with everyone from Michael Jordan to his teammates. — Gary Payton talked trash with everyone from Michael Jordan to his teammates :: Andrew Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

For any writer who covered him and any fan who loved an original, it's a good thing that Payton never hit his own mute button. It's not surprising that he is still making a living with his mouth, as an analyst for Fox Sports 1. He has one of the biggest talks of his life coming up this weekend -- his speech at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony -- and the smart money says he'll make it memorable. Talk as much as you please, Glove. I hope you never shut up.

Published Sep 6, 2013

PHIL TAYLOR

Senior writer, Sports Illustrated Sports Illustrated senior writer Phil Taylor has covered a variety of sports in his more than two decades with the magazine, including pro and college basketball as well as college football. He has written The Hot Button column for SI.com and frequently writes the magazine's Point After column, for which he won a National Headliner Award in 2012. During his years as the magazine's lead NBA writer, Taylor profiled many of the league's stars. Among his most memorable stories were a piece on Michael Jordan's return from baseball to the NBA and an in-depth profile of reclusive Utah Jazz point guard John Stockton. Some of the historic sports events he has covered include the earthquake-struck 1989 World Series at Candlestick Park, Chris Webber's infamous timeout in the 1993 NCAA tournament title game and Jordan's epic "flu-game" in the 1997 NBA Finals. Prior to joining SI, Taylor began his career at the Miami Herald, where he won an Associated Press Sports Editors award for feature writing. He has also written for the San Jose Mercury News and the now-defunct sports daily, The National. Born in Flushing, N.Y. and raised on Long Island, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Amherst College in 1982 and a Masters in communications from Stanford University in 1983. Taylor and his wife, who have three children, live in northern California.