Gary Payton’s legacy has already been cemented in basketball history as one of the greatest point guards of all time and a historically great backcourt defender during his years with the Seattle Supersonics before finally winning a championship with the 2006 Miami Heat.
Despite his historic playing career, Payton has made his mark as a coach as well and recently decided to take on a new gig.
ESPN’s Marc Spears shared that Payton is now the new head men’s basketball coach at College of Alameda after spending the past three seasons as the head coach at NAIA Lincoln University in Oakland, California.
Former NBA star Gary Payton, Sr., is the new head men’s basketball coach at College of Alameda, sources told @espn @andscape. The @Hoophall member was a head coach at NAIA Lincoln University in Oakland, California the past 3 seasons before taking over at the nearby junior college
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) September 7, 2024
Alameda is a local junior college that rests on an island, and Payton will be taking over a program that went 7-21 last season in the Bay Valley Conference.
The school is excited to have him, as athletic director Ramaundo Vaugh said “Gary Payton is the right choice for the College Of Alameda for a number of reasons. Gary has always been a leader and winner. We know that Coach Payton will hold our athletes accountable on the court, in the classroom and in the community. During the interview process, he spoke about having our student-athletes in the community, giving back. The energy and passion that he brings along with his genuine love for the East Bay is unmatched. The opportunity for our players to learn from one of the all-time NBA greats and Olympic gold medalist is one that we knew we could not afford to pass up.”
Congrats to Payton on the new gig and hopefully he can get his new program headed in the right direction.
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