Hall of Fame Former Lakers Guard Hired as College Head Coach

Jeremy Hanna | Sep 8, 2024

Feb 23, 2020; Los Angeles, California, USA; Film actors Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg pose with NFL Prospect Chase Young, and NBA Legends Gary Payton and Baron Davis during the NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers organization is home to legendary players and coaches. Now, one Hall of Fame point guard is continuing his coaching journey.

According to Marc J. Spears of ESPN, legendary NBA point guard Gary Payton is the new head coach for the men's basketball team at the College of Alameda.

This isn't Payton's first stint as head coach. Not only was he the head coach at NAIA Lincoln University in Oakland, CA, for three seasons, but he has been a constant presence in Ice Cube's BIG3 league.

Payton served as the head coach for the 3-Headed Monsters from 2017-2021. He then began coaching Bivouac in 2022, leading the team to its first championship win this year over fellow Hall of Famer and Lakers legend Michael Cooper. He was also named 2024 BIG3 Coach of the Year.

Still, Payton is most known for his time as a player. After an incredible college career with Oregon State, Payton was selected second overall by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1990 NBA Draft after Derrick Coleman.

Payton continued to play with the SuperSonics until 2003 and is widely considered the greatest player in the franchise's history. He averaged 18.2 points, 7.4 assists, 4.2 total rebounds, and 2.1 steals across 999 games.

In Seattle, Payton was a nine-time All-Star, made nine All-NBA teams, was named to nine NBA All-Defensive First Teams, led the league in steals in 1996, and was named defensive player of the year in 1996.

Unfortunately, Payton's time with Seattle came to an end after the SuperSonics were bought by Howard Schultz. Schultz insisted on trading Payton, sending him to the Milwaukee Bucks.

After becoming an unrestricted free agent, Payton joined the Lakers alongside Karl Malone to try and win their first NBA Championship. They would create a super team with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, although they would eventually lose in the 2004 NBA Finals to the Detroit Pistons.

Payton was then traded to the Boston Celtics in 2004 before signing a one-year $1.1 million contract with the Miami Heat, rejoining O'Neal. Alongside shooting guard Dwyane Wade, Payton would win his first and only NBA Championship in 2006.

In his entire career, Payton has averaged 16.3 points. He also recorded a total of 2,445 steals, the fifth most in NBA history. He is also in the Top 10 for most games played (1,335), minutes per game (35.3), and assists per game (6.7).

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