Gary Payton will go down as one of the all-time great defensive point guards in the NBA. Payton earned the nickname “The Glove” for his ability to guard opposing players. In the 1993-94 season, he received a phone call from his cousin after a terrific defensive game in the 1993 Western Conference Finals. His cousin was calling him “The Glove” because he was holding Kevin Johnson like a baseball in a glove. That is when his famous nickname was born, and it stuck with him for the rest of his career. Payton went on to be a defensive threat for the rest of his career. He had games where he notched as many as eight steals a game. Payton sits fifth all-time in the NBA for steals with 2,445.

This image is autographed by Gary Payton with a silver paint pen. Payton’s signature was witnessed by an Upper Deck Authenticated representative as part of UDA’s 5-step authentication process.