Patrick Beverley is one of my favorites. What he does is he brings a lot of energy.
— Gary Payton
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.
I didn't grow up admiring anybody but George Gervin, and I didn't get a chance to play against him. That would've been one of my lifetime accomplishments. I probably would've went crazy if I played against him, because he's like a father to me now.
What's the difference? Ninety million or 80 million. You still can't spend it all.
I got suspended from school once, and my dad came to the school and whooped me in front of everyone. I didn't want that to happen again, didn't want to be embarrassed like that. The guys that I ran with, they respected that and respected my dad too.
I don't need to be in New York. If you've had a bad game, they're booing you and all that mess.
Gary Payton is evolving, but GP is in the Hall of Fame.
The Glove is in the Hall of Fame with the greats.
I was guarding the best player and getting 25 and having eight assists, and three-four steals.
I've got a lot of stats. I did a lot of stuff.
I think if you ask any young guy if they would want a career like Gary Payton, they would tell you yes.
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.
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.
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.
I haven't gotten in any trouble off the floor.
I've always liked Deron Williams because has the same mentality as me.
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.
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.
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.
Assistants like Tim Grgurich worked with me and watched film of me from my Oregon State days.
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.
I'm humble.
To Seattle, Washington, the SuperSonics organization and its fans, the best owners ever in the Ackerley family, I love you. But the best part is that you loved me back.
I've done everything - All-Stars, Olympics. The only thing I haven't done is win MVP of the league. There's nothing else I haven't accomplished.
When I was playing, it was me playing both ends of the floor, playing offense, playing defense and I gave the ball up with assists. It wasn't like me doing one thing, scoring 25 and having three assists and one steal.
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.
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'm not a jealous guy.
As people know in coaching, you can get fired and hired just like that.
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 want to finish my career in Seattle but it's rocky.
When you talk back to me and say something to me it made my game go to another level.
George Gervin was my childhood idol since I was little. In Oakland I had all his posters on my wall.
When we were playing, it was rough and tough. Even superstars like me fouled out a lot.
I'm a big fan of Marcus Smart.
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.
There was a lot of temptation to do lots of bad things in my neighborhood.
I will not go to Oklahoma and retire my jersey there.
Don't hate, just play better, and then get that money.
My family played a big part of my success.
Basketball has turned into an offensive-minded situation. They don't play on both ends. They don't play defense.
You make sacrifices. You sacrifice yourself. Do you want to possibly win a championship? Or do you want to be the same person you were when you were 20 and get those same numbers?
I'm not going to sit here and dwell on whether or not I am going to the Hall of Fame.
If you see yourself in the paper every day and people keep talking about you, you will have a little breakdown in yourself, too.
It's always going to have an effect when your father comes up and scolds you in front of a lot of people.
Seattle deserves a team. They got robbed of their basketball team.
I've already gotten the big paychecks. I'll be fine.
You don't hear about me being at parties, going out and gettin' drunk.
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.
