I was able to talk to these NBA legends on a couple of occasions during the NBA Asia Challenge but was unable to post the transcripts of many of these conversations. Here are a couple.
Mitch Richmond:
It was a great feeling to be able to make a name for myself in the NBA. Now that I am older and I get to look back at what I was able to accomplish, I think of those days with Golden State and my great teammates there. We knew we had something going in Run-TMC. You put us in the same sentence as the Phoenix Suns earlier? I thank you for that compliment. We weren’t the only ones though. Denver played at the same pace but in Golden State, well, were winning too. It was a sad day when I moved to Sacramento. But again in hindsight, those were a great seven years where I made the name for myself.
When you’re young you think of personal accolades, but when you mature in your thinking, you ask, “What is your legacy to the game?”
When we lost in the 1988 Olympics it was just tough. I still remember that. Even if I later won a title with the Los Angeles Lakers, the loss in the Olympics still bugs me. I’m sure my other teammates like David Robinson who had a successful career with San Antonio wish we won a gold medal for our country. That’s how it is when you’re an American playing basketball – you’re expected to win.
I am grateful for the opportunity to play with Chris Mullin and Tim Hardaway as well as Shaq and Kobe. If you told me that I’d get to do all of that when I was starting out young I’d say that was impossible. But things work out for you if you really work hard and respect the game.
In the last five years, I have been taking care of my kids and overseeing some ventures from movie and television stuff and some businesses. But I always make it a point to be a part of the game. And coming over here to play in front of our Filipino fans is giving back to the game.
I’m happy to be here.
Gary Payton:
I am a Seattle Supersonic and if they are going to retire my number then it’s not in Oklahoma with all due respect to the nice folks there but I played in Seattle. That’s where Gary Payton became Gary Payton. Thirteen great years with great players like Shawn (Kemp), Nate (McMillan), and Hersey (Hawkins). When we were running and gunning in Seattle, I knew that Shawn was always somewhere hanging around in the air so I’d just throw up the ball knowing he’d catch the ball and just send that baby down to earth. That was a fun time. You can say that we were a great duo but other teams had great combos at that time, man. Utah with John Stockton and Karl Malone. There was New Jersey with Kenny Anderson and Derrick Coleman. Chicago with Michael (Jordan) and Scottie (Pippen). And in Minessota they had KG and Stephon (Marbury). It was a great time for basketball.
Now I’m retired from the game, I walk my dog and have other businesses. I do television but right now I’m looking to get into coaching with Nate up in Portland.
My biggest accomplishment? Winning the gold medal in the Olympics. Yeah that was better than the championship we won in Miami. Anytime you have a chance to represent your country in the Olympics that is an honor. And I got to do that twice!
Thank you for saying that I played the game with a smile. It’s simple. I got paid to play a game that I love so I really had a good time even with the tough times. Right now, the one player I see that in is Dwight Howard. Always smiling that cat.
Seeing the world and playing basketball – and getting paid to do it? Now that’s fun. Basketball has been good to me and it has allowed me to play in front of the best fans in the world. Now I can say that my career is complete because I will be playing in front of some of the most knowledgeable and basketball crazy fans in the world.
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