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Share on FacebookWhat people have to say about Gary Payton, the 1996 NBA Defensive Player of the Year as a member of the Seattle SuperSonics:
 Payton spent more than 12 seasons with the Sonics and a few months with the Bucks before signing with the Lakers in summer 2003. Barry Gossage NBAE/Getty Images |
I've certainly played with guys that are just as intense, but (Payton) is always just a little bit different than anybody else, in ways that are almost unexplainable. You can't put a finger on it, but there's something there. It's like the monster in the closet when you're a little kid. You're just not quite sure what it is.
New Orleans Hornets guard Baron Davis
We usually go at it. (Payton is) a great player, a guy I looked up to growing up. He's definitely one of the best point guards in this league. It's always a challenge to play against him.
He never talks trash to me. We're cool with each other. We'll just be out there having fun. We don't talk trash. But we pretty much play each other the same way. Just try to stop penetration and contest all shots. I know when he's getting into the lane for his team and making things happen, that's when they're at their best.
Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Paul Silas
(Payton is) so clever. You can't really force him any way because he goes equally well left or right and finishes. He poses a myriad of problems. When he's making his outside shot, that's when he's most dangerous, because it's impossible to guard him.
Anytime a player is an angry player, it can go one or two ways. He can pick it up, or it can destroy his game. I don't see it destroying his game. I see it picking up.
Sonics head coach Nate McMillan
Even though (Payton) doesn't have the rings those guys have, the level of play is right up there with the great players – Magic and Bird and Jordan.
He's a very confident player. He's a very cocky player. Very competitive. Probably more competitive than anyone I've ever been around.
What people have to say about Karl Malone, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player while a member of the Utah Jazz:
 Before joining the Lakers, Malone spent 18 seasons with the Jazz. Barry Gossage NBAE/Getty Images |
I don't think there's ever been anybody chiselled like Karl Malone, who can do what he does. Every play, every rebound, you are going to have to go harder than you would go against anybody else in the league.
Chicago Bulls forward Donyell Marshall, who spent two seasons with Malone and the Jazz
(Malone is) a guy that wants to win . . . Just his smartness of the game, how well he prepares for each game and how he studies each player – I think that's the thing that's most impressive about him.
Former NBA player LaPhonso Ellis
I admired Karl's ability to play smash-mouth basketball on the inside, and still be able to step out to 18 feet and knock down the jump shot.
Karl exemplified what I wished to be – a power forward who can hit the glass on the defensive end, and then be one of the first people down on offence in transition. He's made a career out of doing that.
Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan
If you like to play basketball, this is what it's all about. (Malone) loves to play basketball, and it shows.
When Karl Malone is challenged, he is at his best. We were going into a city one time and John Stockton was getting on him because a player on another team said Karl was overrated. Karl didn't say much, but he went out and got more than 50 points that night.
Former NBA player Alex English, who competed against Malone and the Jazz for the Midwest Division title as a member of the Denver Nuggets
I never really had to guard Karl Malone unless it was a defensive switch. He was just powerful. I didn't look forward to having to switch to guard him. My teammate Calvin Natt was a powerful man himself and I saw him move Calvin like he was just a kid. I thought, "This guy is strong."
I've seen his game improve over the years and he's turned into just a great pro.
