Gary Payton Would Make Up Words When He Talked Trash, Says Sam Perkins
Former Seattle Supersonics power forward Sam Perkins was featured on the second installment of the Scoop B & Reg Podcast. The podcast covers a variety of different topics such as sports journalism, technology & culture. It also features numerous influences in various occupations.
During this episode, Scoop B and Reg brought up the topic of who was a bigger trash talker out of Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and Gary Payton. Perkins, who played with MJ in college at North Carolina, and GP in Seattle gave the nod to Payton.
“Gary talked, and Michael talked, but because he was so good, MJ didn’t have to talk as much. Gary wanted to prove himself, and he knew he was going against someone that he didn’t want to be overshadowed by. Gary is a funny guy because he talks trash, but he makes up words as he talked trash. Words that are not in the dictionary, for example, this had nothing to do with the basketball court. We did something in the locker room, and they fixed up the locker room & brought speakers in. They made up all the couches and Gary comes in there, and I guess he meant to say surround sound, but he said surround round, the farmer Sonic told Scoop B & Reg.“
“I mean he just has a vocabulary and does not think before he speaks and we got on him all the time. So, we started saying surround round everywhere we went, and he gets mad. He makes up vocabulary and talks trash, I could not understand what he is saying on the court, but the guys on the court seems like they can understand what he is saying. It’s not words that we can say in this room out loud. Gary was different, and he would go after you all the time because he was the glove and he was very proud of taking that responsibility, said Perkins.“
The Chicago Bulls and the Seattle Supersonics met in the 1996 NBA Finals after beating each team in their respected conference in the plays that season. MJ and the Bulls would end up talking a 3-0 lead on the Sonics, as they look to end the series in a four-game sweep. Unfortunately, for the Bulls that would not happen as George Karl and the Sonics would change their strategy and decided to let the Defensive Player of the Year that season take on the take of guarding Michael Jordan. Over the next couple of games, Seattle proceeded to take games four and five forcing a game six. The Bulls would find their rhythm in game six though and when their four NBA Championship in six seasons. Michael Jordan would end up taking home his fourth Finals MVP trophy.
It would be until 2006, as a member of the Miami Heat would Payton win that elusive NBA Championship capping off his Hall of Fame career.
Landon Buford is an accomplished sports and entertainment journalist based in Richardson, Texas, with over a decade of experience covering the NBA, WNBA, NFL, WWE, MLB, and the entertainment industry. Known for delivering high-impact stories and headline-making interviews, Buford has earned a global audience through content that blends insider access with compelling storytelling.
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