TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (December 1, 2022) – One of the all-time greats in the history of the Salt Lake Community College Men's Basketball program will have his number retired Friday.
During halftime of No. 2 SLCC's game against Northwest College, the Bruins will retire the number of Gary Payton II, the now-Portland Trail Blazer who starred for SLCC from 2012-14 before moving on to play at Oregon State University.
Kevin Dustin, Salt Lake's Director of Athletics and Recreation, said Payton has consistently displayed attributes of success in the NBA that he showed when playing for the Bruins.
"We are thrilled to honor Gary by retiring his jersey," he said. "Gary leads a long list of former Bruins who have gone on to successful careers at the Division-I level and beyond. His accomplishments on-and-off the court exemplifies the best of Bruin basketball. We look forward to memorializing his legacy by hanging his number from the rafters of Bruin Arena."
Payton played for Salt Lake from 2012-14, earning All-Region 18 honors as both a freshman and sophomore. He was named an NJCAA Second Team All-America player as a sophomore, leading the Bruins to a pair of Region 18 titles during his Salt Lake tenure. He was the 2014 'Region 18 Co-Player of the Year' and the 2014 'Region 18 Tournament Most-Valuable-Player' award winner.
"I think Gary helped push SLCC to the next level where we became consistently a Top 10 program in the country," said former SLCC coach Todd Phillips. "His two years he helped SLCC go to back-to-back conference championships, and back-to-back national tournaments. Along the way he made SportsCenter's 'TopTen' and entertained fans everywhere he went."
After Salt Lake, Payton transferred to play at Oregon State University under Wayne Tinkle, earning All-PAC 12 honors while starring for the Beavers. He also became just the second player in OSU history to record a triple-double in a game, matching the accomplishment of his father, NBA Hall-of-Famer Gary Payton. He was a finalist for the 'Bob Cousy Award', annually given to the top college point guard, and won the PAC-12 'Defensive Player of the Year' award as a junior.
Payton has thrived as a professional, starting as an NBA Summer League player for the Houston Rockets. After playing in the NBA G-League, Payton signed with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2017. His professional accomplishments include winning an NBA championship in 2022 with the Golden State Warriors, including scoring 15 points in a Game 5 win over the Boston Celtics.
He signed a three-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers in July of 2022.
