Quotes from Gary Payton

Seattle deserves a team. They got robbed of their basketball team.

I would never have wanted to play with Magic Johnson, I would never have wanted to play with Michael Jordan, I would never have wanted to play with Karl Malone or John Stockton in my prime. We wanted to play against the Shaqs, the Kobes.

Prove to them people that you should have gotten picked earlier, and then you make your money. The privilege is just getting drafted, and once you get picked, prove to them that you were supposed to be drafted.

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.

When I made it to the pros I wanted to be a guy who could stay in the league, be OK, do whatever I had to do to make some money and do what I do. As the years started coming, I started getting better.

Patrick Beverley is one of my favorites. What he does is he brings a lot of energy.

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.

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.

There was a lot of temptation to do lots of bad things in my neighborhood.

I hope they'll say I was one of the hardest-working basketball players on both ends of the floor.

Wilt Chamberlain, by far, is my best basketball player. Best athlete ever.

I own 60 retro jerseys. I've got everybody - the late Derrick Thomas, a lot of people.

The point guards that I like are the ones that are playing like point guards.

I'm not going to sit here and dwell on whether or not I am going to the Hall of Fame.

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.

The Glove is in the Hall of Fame with the greats.

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.

Gary Payton is evolving, but GP is in the Hall of Fame.

You don't just come in and say, 'Bam, I'm mature; I'm the leader.' It took time for me to grow into this and learn how to talk to certain players and how to handle certain situations.

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.

Assistants like Tim Grgurich worked with me and watched film of me from my Oregon State days.

Coaching is something I really would do. A lot of people don't think I'm serious about it. I like working with the kids. When you work with the guys one-on-one and get them to understand it's a little bit better. That's the way I was taught by Tim Grgurich. That's how he taught us.

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.