In 1996, Gary Payton recorded his 2,000th steal. He became the 9th player to reach the 2,000 steal record. Payton recorded a total of 2,445 steals over his 17 years in the NBA.
Payton is considered one of the greatest point guards of all time and is the only point guard to have won NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1996). Payton began his NBA career with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1990. He partnered up with Shawn Kemp and the duo became known as the “Sonic Boom.” Payton was traded mid-season to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2002-3. He led the Bucks in scoring (18.5) and assists (8.7) during their playoffs appearance. Payton also played for the Los Angeles Lakers, where he averaged 14.6 points per game and appeared in 82 games. Payton spent one season each with the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat before retiring in 2007. Payton missed only 25 games over his 17-year career and was nicknamed “The Glove” for his defensive skills.
Today in Sports History: March 28
