Back in 2000, Seattle Supersonics legend Gary Payton found himself in the middle of a feud with his head coach, Paul Westphal. They argued about a wide array of issues related to their issues on and off the court, but the tip of the iceberg happened after “The Glove” went off on Westphal during a team huddle against the Dallas Mavericks. It was the same reason why the Sonics had no choice but to suspend GP.
"He is going to respect me, or I am not going to play for him," Payton said after the game, as reported by ESPN. "That's just period. If he is going to say something bad to me and I think it is bad, he is going to respect me before that. Or he won't have me playing for him. I am not going to say anything else about it, I am going to be a professional about it, but that's the way it is going to be on the bench. It is going to be respect. If I respect him, he is going to respect me,” he added.
The team huddle
What was ironic about this blow up was that it happened when the Sonics were cruising against the Mavericks. Both Payton and Westphal didn’t want to reveal what they argued about but it had a lot to do with the nine-time All-Star’s ego and desire to lead the locker room — which he and Westphal often clashed about. It got to a point where the Sonics had to suspend Payton because he just couldn’t get along with the head tactician in the locker room.
Westphal was the type of coach who led quietly and wasn’t fond of using cursed words toward his team. He imposed his punishments by lessening a player’s minutes, which was what he did to GP when he often lost his cool during training sessions or games. That’s why in this game against the Mavs, Westphal decided to sub in rookie Desmond Mason to take Payton’s place on the court — which didn’t sit well with the veteran.
"As long as I stay cool and we do what we had to do, we won," Payton said. "Guys had to calm me down, and I thought about it and I thought, I am not playing for him, I am playing for these guys. So once I calmed down and got through it, it is over with. I don't care. I don't give a (darn). We don't have to talk no more, we don't have to see each other no more. I don't give a (darn). I'm coming out here playing for these 12 guys, and I don't give a damn about him."
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The woes of the early 2000s SuperSonics squad
The 2000 Sonics were simply a mess. Westphal only lasted 15 games and was replaced by Nate McMillan, who eventually led Seatle to a 38-29 record. But they couldn’t replicate the team’s success from the 90s when they were at their peak and challenged Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. They slowly transitioned into their rebuilding era when Payton left in 2003 and after they acquired the likes of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
The defensive maestro was seen as the cornerstone of the Supersonics franchise but just like most typical superstars, he had a ton of baggage — one of which was his inability to get along with his coaches, thus the chaos he caused in the locker room during Westphal’s time.
Related: Gary Payton says Seattle was the original Lob City: "I was doing that in the early 90s before even that boy was even in diapers"
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