Payton says pressure will be on Heat stars

MANILA, Philippines - Gary Payton, who played with Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade on the Miami team that won the 2006 NBA title, said the other day the pressure is on the Heat’s Big Three – not Fil-Am coach Erik Spoelstra – to prove they can deliver a championship to the franchise.

“The pressure is on Dwyane, LeBron (James) and Chris (Bosh) to show it was worth all the trouble of getting them together,” he said. “I’ve played with Dwyane and it’s no knock on him but if you compare him with Kobe (Bryant), there’s a big difference in their work ethic. I played with Kobe, too, and he’d be more from my era. Kobe knows how to be humble. If Kobe loses a game, you’ll see him the next day in the gym, working extra hard to make sure he’ll be better. I don’t know if it’s the same with Dwyane. They’re both great players but Dwyane is more the show type. There are high expectations for the Heat. It’s up to the Big Three to show they deserve to be up there with the best.”

Payton, 42, is in town to play in the NBA Asia Challenge at the Araneta Coliseum tonight. He joins another NBA legend Glen Rice on the Red team with NBA D-Leaguers Darnell Lazare and Chris McCray, PBA legends Atoy Co, Allan Caidic and Vergel Meneses and PBA active stars Asi Taulava, L. A. Tenorio and Arwind Santos. The Reds coach is Alaska’s Tim Cone.

The Reds will go up against the Whites made up of NBA legends Chris Webber and Mitch Richmond, D-Leaguers Richie Frahm and Mark Tyndale, PBA legends Alvin Patrimonio, Benjie Paras and Ronnie Magsanoc and PBA active stars Ronald Tubid, Rico Maierhofer and Dondon Hontiveros. The Whites coach is San Miguel Beer’s Siot Tanquingcen.

“It’ll be a fun game,” said Payton. “I might go into the stands and bring some kids over to the court.”

The youngest of five children, Payton has a special place in his heart for kids. In 1999, he authored an inspiring children’s book entitled “Confidence Counts.”

“Being the youngest had its good and bad points,” said the 1996 NBA Defensive Player of the Year. “I got everything I wanted from my parents but I was often all alone at home and never got to be really close with my two brothers and two sisters. Fortunately, my parents brought us up well. My oldest brother Greg introduced me to basketball and is now a pastor. The reason why I wrote a book for kids was to share my experiences in life – how I got out of a bad situation to make a difference. My father had a lot to do with it, the way he instilled discipline because I wasn’t a good kid in school. That discipline got me to where I am today with support from my family and God’s help. Through the book, I want to teach kids the values of life then when it’s their turn, to teach kids in the next generation.”

Payton said the value of being hard-working led to an outstanding 17-year pro career where he missed only 59 of 1,394 regular season games. “I knew my coach, teammates and fans depended on me so I played night after night, even if I was hurt,” he said. “If I had a hangnail, I’d wrap it up. I got used to playing through pain and fatigue because I couldn’t let my team down. I was obligated to play. I wanted to be out there helping my team to win, not sitting on the bench. That kind of work ethic and attitude, I learned from my dad and that’s what I’m trying to teach kids now. I have four kids of my own and they’ve learned from my father’s teachings passed on to me. My youngest is in 12th grade and the others are in St. John’s, Oregon State and Santa Clara so their education is solid.”

Payton played for Seattle, Milwaukee, the Lakers, Boston and Miami in the NBA. “It was special playing for two great franchises, the Lakers and Celtics, what with their rivalry and the Magic-Bird era,” he said. “They both have championship tradition. But my best years were with Seattle. I’m hoping in 2012, we can bring a team back to Seattle – the Sonics name is still with the city and the team colors, too. I’m part of the Seattle Gate Group which is studying how to bring back an NBA team to the city. We could fix up the arena where it stands now or tear it down and build a new one or find a new location. I might even be the general manager or coach of the team.”

Payton said a highlight of his basketball career was playing on the US team that struck gold in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. “You feel proud with USA on your jersey,” he said. “It’s a great feeling because you’re representing your country. Millions of people are watching you, like you’re fighting a war for your country. Winning two gold medals was incredible and it’s a memory you’ll bring with you in your old age, a story to tell your grandchildren.”

Payton teamed with Richmond on the 1996 US Olympic team but they’ll be on opposite sides in tonight’s game.

“Gary and I go back a long way, we’re friends off the court but we’ve battled on opposing teams in the NBA,” said Richmond. ‘I’m excited about the game. I know how much Filipino fans love the game. We’re using a different format, a mix-and-match thing and it’ll be interesting. Over two weeks ago, I was on a pick-up team that played against the Philippines in Los Angeles. They were a lot of players and I was impressed with their skills.”

Richmond, 45, said he stays in shape playing hoops twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays and dabbling in flag football, softball and other sports. “I try to eat healthy but I enjoy my food, too,’ he went on. “Ending my career on a championship team with the Lakers was a wonderful climax. At least, I got one. Playing with Kobe and Shaq was an awesome experience. I’ll always be grateful because they helped me get a ring. It was also a thrill to win the MVP trophy in the 1995 All-Star Game because you played with the best in the league.”

Richmond said playing with Tim Hardaway and Chris Mullin on the Run TMC trio with Golden State was one of the milestones in his career. “We became Warrior legends,” he said. “As for my toughest opponent ever, he had to be Michael Jordan – who else? But there were other great ones like Clyde Drexler, Reggie Miller, Joe Dumars, J. R. Rider and Alvin Robertson.”