Gary Payton has finally spoken about the viral exchange between him and Kevin Durant during the game between the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns on Jan. 31. Durant had ruthlessly talked trash to Payton on the night, but the latter made it clear during an interview with Complex that they have a lot of love for each other.
“Everybody done seen that little thing,” Payton said. “Kevin, y’all got to understand. Kevin is like my young guy, and we joke around like that. People don’t know I got Kevin to go with my agent from when he came out of Texas. Him and LeBron, I’ve been knowing them kids since they were young, 16, 17 years old.
“When we went at it up in there, people were thinking we’re going at it, but I mess with him like that,” Payton continued. “I went at him, and I was like, ‘Man, I’ll do you, I’ll beat you. You’re no good, you can’t even play. You can’t even play defense. All you can do is score. He’s one of my guys that I love, and he’s the OG now. He stays in the game like that, and that’s great for him.”
Durant had hilariously told Payton he was coming off the bench when he was his age, and that got a laugh out of everyone, even referee Scott Foster. While that was a savage comment, it wasn’t actually accurate.
Payton was still a starter in the NBA when he was 36, like Durant is now, but he had become a shell of his former self. He was no longer the elite two-way guard that he had been at his peak. While that comment by Durant would have gotten under the skin of some players, Payton doesn’t fall into that category. He is one of the greatest trash-talkers in NBA history, and he enjoyed that exchange.
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