Former NBA star Gary Payton Sr. is the new head coach of the College of Alameda men's basketball team, the school announced Saturday.
“Gary Payton is the right choice for the College of Alameda for a number of reasons,” said Athletic Director Ramaundo Vaughn. “Gary has always been a leader and a winner. We know Coach Payton will hold our athletes accountable on the court, in the classroom and in the community. During the interview process, he spoke about having our student-athletes out in the community, giving back to the community. The energy and passion he brings along with his genuine love for the East Bay is unmatched. The opportunity for our players to learn from one of the NBA’s all-time greats and an Olympic gold medalist is something we knew we couldn’t afford to pass up.”
Payton, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, was the head coach at financially struggling NAIA Lincoln University in Oakland, California, for the past three seasons before taking over at Alameda, the nearby island junior college.
Payton, an Oakland native, inherits a program that went 7-21 last season while playing in the Bay Valley Conference.
Payton, 56, has also been a coach in the Big3 league since its inception in 2017, and last season he led Bivouac to a title while being named the league's coach of the year.
Payton spent 17 seasons in the NBA, winning a championship in 2006 with the Miami Heat. “The Glove” was known for his stifling defense and was the first point guard to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award.
The son of nine-time All-Star Gary Payton II plays for the Golden State Warriors.
