During Gary Payton ‘s prime years, he earned immense respect from his teammates, especially the younger ones, whom ‘The Glove’ kept in check with his authoritative presence.
However, fast forward to his career’s latter stages, Payton faced a new experience. Suddenly, during a 2006 playoff game timeout, his younger Miami Heat teammate, Dwyane Wade, started barking in his direction, which naturally didn’t sit well with the vet.
“I’m the old-school guy on the team and he started yelling at me. I had to make him understand, ‘I’mma tell you something. I’m the old school here. I’m a legend…you coming up.’ So we argued and I cussed him out,” recounted Payton, per ‘Chicago Tribune.’
The fiery dispute
During the Heat ‘s Game 4 in the first-round series against the Bulls, tensions ran high as the team struggled to find their rhythm. In a 2016 interview , Payton recalled the specific incident that let it all boil over, saying, “(Wade) went and made a bad pass and I wasn’t at the spot”