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"I wouldn't even give them any techs!" - When Gary Payton shared how he would act as a referee
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- "I wouldn't even give them any techs!" - When Gary Payton shared how he would act as a referee
Gary Payton had always been an interesting figure all throughout his legendary NBA career. Almost every time he talked to the media, The Glove would always come up with an outrageous take.
This was the case when Slam asked GP to name who he would want to be in the NBA other than himself. At first, Payton refused to be somebody else in the league. However, he eventually gave in and said he would have loved to be an NBA official.
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Knowing Gary, he backed his answer up with yet another eye-popping reason. According to GP, he would fancy being a referee just to let the players play and even get chippy all they want.
"Nobody. No one! I'd be Gary Payton," the 1996 NBA Defensive Player of the Year told Slam in 1997. "Nobody else! Naw, you know what? I'd be an NBA ref. For real. I'd show all of the players how much love I'd give 'em. I wouldn't even make no calls. I'd show 'em how a referee is really supposed to ref. I wouldn't even give 'em any techs. I wouldn't!"
"I'd just talk to 'em, 'Look brotha, me and you are in the same situation, so chill out," he continued. "I'll give you some calls.'"
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GP rips today's NBA refs
Even after his playing years were over, Payton has always been vocal about his thoughts on the game. Unsurprisingly, one of the most controversial comments he made as of late was about the NBA referees.
As it turns out, "The Glove" hasn't been happy with how the refs have been officiating games in today's NBA. From Payton's standpoint, most referees in the league are "biased ."
Gary further stressed that these referees are evidently being unfair towards the Golden State Warriors , particularly with Steph Curry and Draymond Green .
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"He (Stephen Curry) don't complain at nobody. The superstar that he is, he got to go to the referees and tell them," said "The Glove" when asked about the two-time MVP not getting enough calls.
GP said as he also alluded to a certain bias against the Warriors.
"They don't like the Warriors, and they always put it on Draymond. They always put everything on Draymond because they say Draymond do the things they don't want to. So the referees already coming in there bias. They're already coming in bias against them," Payton pointed out.
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There's a reason why Payton wasn't a referee
Payton's argument may be valid for some, but it's hard to tell if it's coming from an objective perspective. While it's true that GP knows the game, it's also quite evident that he hadn't been impressed by the NBA officials' performances even during his playing years.
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That being said, it's a good thing that "The Glove" didn't wind up becoming an NBA official. If that was the case, it's kind of hard to imagine how he would've performed with the whistle.
However, this is no knock on Payton and his legacy. No matter what GP says about the referees, nothing could ever take away anything from him and his status as one of the greatest players of all time.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Nov 5, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
