Not Isiah Thomas or Magic Johnson, Gary Payton Fondly Recalls Point Guard Battles With John Stockton

Gary Payton had his fair share of memorable rivalries in the league. As the league’s premier defensive guard for a long stretch of his career, he’d often spend games with the unenviable task of taking over the defensive duties on the opposition’s best players. While most would expect Payton to name flashy icons like Magic Johnson or Isiah Thomas as his toughest point guard opponents, The Glove had a different answer during his conversation on the Club 520 Podcast.

When asked, “Who is your best point guard matchup?” Payton didn’t even take a second to think and said, “John Stockton. By far.” The reason why he picked Stockton over some of the other names is even more interesting.

Stockton wasn’t the obvious choice because of athleticism or star power, but due to his unmatched craftiness and mental sharpness on the court. Payton acknowledged that it took him six years to figure out how to guard Stockton effectively. Despite being one of the fiercest defenders in NBA history, Payton admitted that he couldn’t approach Stockton with brute force the way he did with other guards.

Interestingly, Payton also pushed back on a common perception of Stockton, that he was “dirty.” He said, “He was just a little bit more crafty. Everybody thought he was dirty, but we was just stupid. We just didn’t know how to play. It took me six years to figure him out.” The issue wasn’t Stockton bending the rules, it was his mastery of the fundamentals and relentless discipline that made him such a nightmare for defenders.

The moment Payton realized that he had figured out Stockton was in 1996. Payton took the Supersonics to a 4-2 win over Stockton’s Jazz in the 1996 Western Conference Finals. He said, “I figured out I can’t keep doing the same thing I do with him and try to overmatch him. I gotta play the same way he played.”

What once was a fierce on-court rivalry has now turned into a deep-rooted friendship. Payton revealed that he idolized Stockton back then and is proud to admit that he is now one of his best friends. More importantly, playing against someone like him helped GP become a better player. And Stockton isn’t alone on that list.

Gary Payton said that Tim Hardaway, Kevin Johnson, Rod Strickland, and more pushed him to his limits and made him a better player in the process.