⌕/
Gary Payton II · Basketball fans everywhere rubbed their eyes in disbelief, certain they were witnessing some elaborate mirage rather than reality itself. "The Glove" was actually draped in purple and gold, abandoning the green and yellow that defined his legendary 13-year Seattle tenure for Hollywood's ultimate superteam experiment on paper. The defensive savant and former Defensive Player of the Year had joined what many considered the most loaded roster ever assembled, bringing his elite skills to a completely foreign environment. When both of his All-NBA teammates were sidelined, the Hall of Fame point guard delivered a masterful performance that reminded everyone why he belonged, becoming the oldest player at the time to record such an elite statline while operating within Phil Jackson's triangle offense. The man synonymous with Seattle's franchise records in assists and steals now found himself in the most jarring uniform imaginable, his legendary trash talk and lockdown defense somehow looking both familiar and completely surreal in colors that seemed to defy the natural order of basketball history. · State of Mint