Gary Payton reveals toughest European to guard, explains Doncic's phenomenon / News - Basketnews.com

Although Gary Payton was famous for his trash-talking skills, he revealed Europeans were the toughest to beat mentally because they didn't let him get into their brains.

Credit: GettyImages via AFP/USA TODAY Sports - Scanpix Credit GettyImages via AFP/USA TODAY Sports - Scanpix

Despite being 54 years old, Gary Payton's energy at the NBA Cares event was a force to be reckoned with, elevating an already energetic atmosphere to new heights.

Gary Payton

Position:PGAge:54Height:193 cmWeight:82 kgBirth place:Oakland, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

It was a heartwarming display of teamwork and community service, as current NBA stars like Kevin Huerter and basketball legends like Boozer, Gary Payton, and Dominique Wilkins banded together to repack and sort food donations for low-income students and families. This collaboration was made possible thanks to the Utah Food Bank, Bishop's Storehouse, and Volunteers of America.

European basketball greats have memories of Payton's energy and tenacity.

He was known for being one of the toughest defenders in the game, not only due to his unwavering dedication to defense but also his skillful use of trash-talking to distract opponents on offense.

Payton revealed that European players were the most challenging to beat mentally.

"Drazen Petrovic," when asked who was the toughest European player to guard, Payton responded to BasketNews in Salt Lake City.

"He was pretty good. Sarunas Marciulionis was really good too," the NBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist added.

He found it nearly impossible to get inside their heads, a surprising contrast to his ability to mentally dominate other players.

"Foreigner players are different. They don't listen to what you say. They just play basketball. And they don't really let you get into their brain," currently the head coach of his hometown college team in Oakland, laughed.

"I tried to get into all of them, but they never responded to me. So I think all of them, Vlade Divac, were people who didn't let you get in your head. Especially me, because they knew about me. If you try to get into them, they go back at you harder," Payton explained.

Luka Doncic

MIN:36.51PTS:33.32 (58.01%)REB:8.82As:8.14ST:1.52BL:0.48TO:3.66GM:50ProfileNBA2022/2023

Payton shared some humorous anecdotes about his interactions with international players, many of whom struggled to understand him due to language barriers.

"They were always coming over to me and saying: 'Why you're saying to me Gary, why you say that to me?!' Payton laughed. "And I had to tell them that we're just playing basketball."

In his heyday, international basketball produced some of the NBA's most talented players, though they were not as dominant as today's stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, and Luka Doncic.

"It wasn't like that because they weren't here. And we didn't give them an opportunity to get in," Payton compared the International talent level now and back in the day.

"Now, many of them get there. But you have to understand that they started playing professional basketball when they were 14-15. So they know how to play the game and how to do it. That's why Luka is so good. And that's why people get mad at him because he says, 'it's too easy.' It is too easy for him because he's been doing it all his life," Payton explained.

"And now basketball has changed from the 80s to 20s, where a defense is a little bit more no-defense than it was with us. And that's the way it goes. I think these guys are getting better and better. And we're going over there to get them. That's not a coincidence that they're getting drafted. Because they're good basketball players," Payton concluded.

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