Xavier McDaniel made me respect him. I thought I could do anything I wanted to. He grabbed me one time and almost choked me out. He said, 'You're going to do this. You're going to go get coffee. You're going to go get doughnuts.' It's a game of respect.
Gary Payton
When you play defense what happens is everybody pays attention and they start talking about how you're the stopper, you can stop this guy. All of a sudden your game gets better on the offensive end and you become that versatile guard that everybody wants.
When I went in to Seattle, I had eight veterans who were in the league over six or seven years. That was a plus for me, to teach me how to respect somebody.
I'm a big fan of Marcus Smart.
The NBA tries to be about flash. But real fans recognize the guy who makes things happen.
To let somebody get 30 points on you, and you feel good because you got 35 on them, that's not good for me, you know what I'm saying? If I get 35, I want him to get 12 or 14 because that means I've done something. I've done my job. I went out there and played hard and did what I had to do.
Guys like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, they'll take bad criticism in a good way.
As people know in coaching, you can get fired and hired just like that.
I am going to go on with my life, and if they call me and say 'Yo, you are going to be in the Hall of Fame or you are going to be in this,' then I am going to say, 'So be it.' If I make it, I will go to the ceremony, and I'll have fun.
If Seattle could put my jersey on top of the Space Needle, they would.
I'm always going to admire my father more than anybody in life.
Larry Bird was a talker. He'd tell you something and you'd be like, are you kidding me? You're really telling me that?
I'm not into the European-style clothes.
Patrick Beverley is one of my favorites. What he does is he brings a lot of energy.
In my day I think the toughest was Derek Harper. The old-school Derek Harper. He was tough. He had the most toughest, nastiest game ever. I hated playing against him because he would always try to rip you, and try to talk to you. People just didn't really know that about Derek Harper. I used to hate bringing the ball up against him, really.
Because of how I am on the court, people think I'm wild and crazy. But really, I'm a kick-back guy, so Seattle suits me fine.
People always talk about first-ballot Hall of Famer and all that stuff, but it doesn't really make a difference. Once you get in there, you're a Hall of Famer. It doesn't matter if you get in on the first, second or third ballot. It's the same thing.
I own 60 retro jerseys. I've got everybody - the late Derrick Thomas, a lot of people.
I was really scared when I went to Oregon State. I wasn't sure I could play at the college level.
I haven't gotten in any trouble off the floor.
Tim Hardaway was a guy who had his crossover and then he could shoot a jump shot and he could get to the bucket.
You can't regret anything - it's over with.
I'm not going to go to a team that's losing. I think that would be disrespectful to me to trade me to somebody like that.
I've already gotten the big paychecks. I'll be fine.
Seattle deserves a team. They got robbed of their basketball team.
Money and all that stuff doesn't equal a ring, because you'll always be in the books as winning a championship and being on one of the best teams ever to play the game.
George Gervin was my childhood idol since I was little. In Oakland I had all his posters on my wall.
I've done did a lot of things in the NBA, made a lot of stuff, so I'm happy with what I've done.
I became real good friends with John Stockton and Karl Malone and am still good friends with them to this day. It was always good to go see them and then play with them in the 1996 Olympics as well. I idolized John Stockton at the time, I tried to model my game after him.
You talk about rowdy - in Oakland the players were on you. The refs were on you. The stands were on you. You had to talk back or you were a sissy; you'd get run out of the league. Afterward? Yeah, it was kind of a, uh, struggle to get out of the gym. Cops had to be everywhere. Which was lucky.
Don't hate, just play better, and then get that money.
To go into Key Area every day, sold out, it was hard to come in there and get a win against us. That's when we used to make people understand, you can't come in and get a win against us. We were probably one of the hardest arenas to win in. Our fans were crazy. They would camp out.
I did a lot of things I regret.
This is what kids want to see. You see these Playstations, they scoring 50 and 60 with one player, that's what they want to see on TV and I don't go with that.
The Glove is in the Hall of Fame with the greats.
I think if you ask any young guy if they would want a career like Gary Payton, they would tell you yes.
There was a lot of temptation to do lots of bad things in my neighborhood.
My father and my brother are chefs.
With Westbrook and myself, I can see the dog that he has in him. He's got that fire that he won't back down from anybody. His game is a little different than mine because he's a fast, get to the bucket type of player, finishing above the rim and things like that.
As far as talking on the court was concerned, the whole family was behind me on that.
My dad was known as a mean guy. He never smiled, and he had 'Mr. Mean' put on his license plate. But he was one of the neighborhood dads who looked out for everyone. He would take kids in and help them out.
No one superstar can win a championship by himself. You've got to have help.
I've always liked Deron Williams because has the same mentality as me.
Kobe Bryant, to me, is still the best basketball player in my mind. He played with me and he was in my era. I still love him to death. He's a little brother to me.
When you talk back to me and say something to me it made my game go to another level.
You don't hear about me being at parties, going out and gettin' drunk.
I want to finish my career in Seattle but it's rocky.
It's just a great honor to even be associated with the Hall of Fame and get in. If I eventually do make it, it will be a great honor, and I don't care if it's the first or second time because it's an honor for anyone to make the Hall of Fame.
It's always going to have an effect when your father comes up and scolds you in front of a lot of people.
I'm not a jealous guy.
