Full name is Gary Dwayne Payton...his nickname "The Glove" caught on in 1993 when his cousin phoned him during the week of the Western Conference Finals against Phoenix and told him “You’re holding Kevin Johnson like a baseball in a glove”...he and his wife, Monique, have two sons, Gary Jr. (12) and Julian (7), and one daughter, Raquel (16)…is the son of Al and Annie Payton…has two brothers, Al Jr. and Greg, and one sister, Sharon…lists his father, Al Sr. as the person who made the biggest difference in his life and the person he most admires.

Graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in broadcast communications…chose his major because he loves to talk…when his playing career is over he would like to be a sportscaster…established the Gary Payton Foundation in October 1996 to help underprivileged children stay in school and provide safe places for recreational activities...is also involved with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Make-A-Wish Foundation…says the one thing most people don’t know about him is that he has a big heart…was named to The Sporting News “Good Guys in Sports” list in July 1999…wrote an autobiographical children's book titled "Confidence Counts" in the fall of 1999…owns several restaurants and a few commercial properties…in his free time he likes to shoot pool and play dominos…enjoys football and baseball and lists his hometown San Francisco 49ers and San Francisco Giants as his favorite teams.

Enjoys old school and hip-hop music…named Martin his favorite television show and The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh as his favorite movie…has appeared on The Jamie Foxx Show, The Wheel of Fortune and The Late Late Show…his favorite kind of food is soul food and chose PF Chang’s as his favorite restaurant…lists breakfast and pasta as things he cooks well and is the self proclaimed “Grill King”…wore No. 2 his first year in Seattle before switching to No. 20 after his rookie year…his favorite player as a kid was George Gervin...considers John Stockton the most difficult opponent he has played…says the most interesting person he's ever met was NFL legend Walter Payton...listed Tim Hardaway's crossover as the one move he says he would pay to have taught to him...was inducted into the Oregon State University Sports Hall of Fame along with former HEAT forward A.C. Green on July 25, 1996…had his jersey number retired at Oregon State during a halftime ceremony of a preseason game on Oct. 25, 1996...the Seattle Mayor's Office proclaimed June 6, 2000 as “Gary Payton Day”...lists Cabos San Lucas as his dream vacation spot and chose London, England as the best place he has ever visited…his game day routine includes always having breakfast and taking a pre-game nap…wears a size 12 shoe.

Drafted in the first round (second overall) of the 1990 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics…traded by the SuperSonics with Desmond Mason to the Milwaukee Bucks for Ray Allen, Kevin Ollie, Ronald Murray and a conditional first-round draft pick on Feb. 20, 2003...signed as a free agent by the L.A. Lakers on July 16, 2003...traded to the Boston Celtics with Rick Fox and a first-round draft choice in exchange for Chris Mihm, Chucky Atkins and Jumaine Jones on Aug. 6, 2004...traded to the Atlanta Hawks with Tom Gugliotta, Michael Stewart and a future first-round draft pick in exchange for Antoine Walker on Feb. 24, 2005...waived by the Hawks on Mar. 1, 2005…signed as a free agent by the Boston Celtics on Mar. 4, 2005…signed as a free agent by the Miami HEAT on Sept. 22, 2005.