"I started having great games against him" - Gary Payton reveals how he finally found a way to match John Stockton's game
Gary Payton had repeatedly admitted that John Stockton was the toughest matchup of his NBA career. According to 'The Glove,' Stock torched him for the better part of his first three seasons in the league. He couldn't do anything about it but try to get under Utah Jazz star point guard's skin.
Payton said it didn't help that the officials seemed to favor Stockton with their calls, but everything changed when they began to recognize him as a high-level player as well. With his confidence revived, GP eventually figured out how to crack Stockton's code.
"What he would do is, if I started talking, I would get into a situation where I'd get into a good rhythm, he would start using his head: setting picks, getting the offensive fouls. When I would get on the block he would flop or fall down and the referees would give him calls and that was because he was the marquee point guard at the time," Payton told Rolling Stone in 2014.
"But as I started growing and becoming an All-Star, they started letting us play a lot and wouldn't call those cheap fouls on me," he continued. "Then I stopped reacting to the things he did and we started playing heads-up. I started having great games against him."
GP salutes Stock
For 13 seasons, Payton dueled with Stockton on NBA hardwood. They had their fair share of epic battles, but at the end of the day, they respected each other.
As a fierce competitor himself, Payton had no issues giving his rivals the props if they had earned it. Stating the obvious, Stockton tops that list, in fact, Gary once revealed that Stockton's jersey is his most prized possession.
"Everybody always asks me who is the toughest guy I ever had to guard, and I always say John Stockton. His jersey is my most prized possession right here… Stockton was the guy I really, really respected. I respect him to this day," Payton once confided.
Different animals, the same beast
In retrospect, Payton and Stockton were their generation's Top 2 point guards. Despite being arch-rivals, 'The Glove' and Stock had two completely opposite play styles and on-court personas.
As most can recall, Payton was a savage trash-talker, while Stockton was famous for being silent yet deadly on the court. Skill-wise, Gary was more athletic, especially for a point guard, but John had impeccable basketball IQ and was tough as nails.
Despite their differences, Payton and Stockton get almost the same level of respect from their contemporaries and the younger generation of NBA stars. It is a preference question as both had Hall of Fame careers and terrorized opponents during their stints in the league.
