Hall of Famer Gary Payton has opened up during an exclusive interview with Vladtv about the incident when he and his former teammate, Ricky Pierce exchanged gun threats.
Here is a summary from Gary Payton’s interview about getting a gun to kill Ricky Pierce’s family.
In this clip, Hall of Famer Gary Payton talks about the incident when he and his former teammate, Ricky Pierce exchanged gun threats.
He then compares the ordeal to Gilbert Arenas’s infamous gun incident with the Washington Wizards. As the conversation nears the end, Gary Payton talks about the intricacies behind trash talking and the value of using it on the court against his rivals.
Here is some background about the beef between Payton and Pierce which started when the Sonics were the first 1 seed to lose to the 8th seed in the NBA playoffs.
It was no wonder. The most publicized development of the series, a tiff between Payton and Ricky Pierce, had occurred before and during halftime of the Sonics’ 97-87 victory in Game 2. Pierce has publicly blamed the squabble on a disagreement over Payton’s ball distribution, but Payton’s account, largely substantiated by teammates and other witnesses, paints a more convoluted picture.
With the Sonics on their way to a 50-37 halftime lead, Pierce broke off a play, tried to make a one-on-one move, but was stripped of the ball. Soon after, Payton told the team, “Let’s run the offense.” Taking umbrage, Pierce told Payton that since he dominated the ball, it was his responsibility to get Pierce more shots.
During a timeout shortly after, the argument escalated. Pierce was pulled from the game during the break and, believing Payton had influenced the substitution, became incensed. Heated words were exchanged during the walk back to the Sonic locker room, where teammates told the two to stop bickering.
Payton and Pierce did not come close to blows and were not forcibly separated, as has been reported in other accounts, Payton and other Sonics say. The two met in Denver before Game 4, and Payton said he thought the matter was behind them. He said he was shocked at revelations that Pierce had longstanding problems with the way Payton ran the Sonic offense.
“If Ricky had a problem with me taking too many shots, he should’ve said something earlier,” Payton said. “It was that way all year long. I led the team in shots. In Game 3, I only had six shots.
It looks like the beef was bigger than Payton let on at the time.
Flip to the next page to watch the exclusive interview.