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The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted its newest members Sunday, and two men with Bay Area ties figured prominently.
Gary Payton, who starred at Oakland’s Skyline High and Oregon State before a sterling NBA career, and former Warrior Bernard King headlined the class.
“I played hard because I wanted to win every time,” Payton said. “It was all for my crazy love for the game.”
Payton was known for his defensive prowess, aggressiveness and trash-talking. He is the only NBA player with 20,000 points, 8,000 assists, 5,000 rebounds and 2,000 steals.
“I don’t regret the way I went about it, and I’m a strong man today as a result, but I can’t help but think I could have given more to the game that gave so much to me,” Payton said. “My career is complete, Gary Payton is evolving, but GP is in the Hall of Fame.”
King spent two seasons with the Warriors, averaging 21.9 points per game in 1980-81 and earning an All-Star berth while averaging 23.1 points per game in 1981-82. In all, he averaged 22.5 points in 16 NBA seasons with five teams.
“Anything you dream of and set a goal for can be achieved through hard work, education, the desire to achieve and commitments,” King said.
Reported by the Associated Press
