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SLCC Honors NBA Star Gary Payton II and Retires His Jersey

 


Former Salt Lake Community College student-athlete and current NBA player Gary Payton II was honored during half time at the SLCC vs. Northwest basketball game on Friday night, December 2. Coaches, fans, players and SLCC leadership attended to celebrate and honor the retiring of Gary’s jersey, # 1. The jersey will memorialize Gary’s time here and be displayed from the rafters of the Bruin Arena. 

 

The now-Portland Trail Blazer played for SLCC from 2012-14 before moving on to play at Oregon State University. One of the biggest highlights of his career was winning an NBA championship in 2022 with the Golden State Warriors, including scoring 15 points in a Game 5 win over the Boston Celtics. 
  
"We are thrilled to honor Gary by retiring his jersey,” says Kevin Dustin, Salt Lake's Director of Athletics and Recreation. "Gary leads a long list of former Bruins who have gone on to successful careers at the Division-I level and beyond. His accomplishments on-and-off the court exemplifies the best of Bruin basketball.”


Gary’s path to the NBA started at SLCC, where he aimed to get his grades up in order to qualify for a Division I scholarship. “For basketball, SLCC was one of the best conferences to play in and a good opportunity from a basketball standpoint to gain recognition. And it worked,” says Gary. He said the support he received from teachers and his coaches, “just made it smooth” for his two years here, where he earned an associates degree in business. 

While at SLCC, he helped lead the Bruins to two successful seasons before moving on to Oregon State. During his Bruin stint, he earned multiple awards including being named an NJCAA Second Team All-America player as a sophomore.

Even though his play at SLCC propelled him to the Pac-12, Gary says he was surprised by this honor. “I honestly didn’t feel like I played that well when I was here, but it was a dope experience with the group of guys and the coaches we had that first year,” recalls Gary. He said the team was a “strong brotherhood” of diverse players. “It was hard at first, but we all came together and figured it out.”

“I think Gary helped push SLCC to the next level where we became consistently a Top 10 program in the country,” stated former SLCC coach Todd Phillips. “His two years he helped SLCC go to back-to-back conference championships, and back-to-back national tournaments. Along the way he made SportsCenter’s ‘Top Ten’ and entertained fans everywhere he went.”

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