Gary Payton II almost filmed Warriors games instead of making it to NBA Finals

Instead of playing for the Golden State Warriors, Dubs point guard Gary Payton II almost took a job with the video team just to stay in Chase Center.

Although his only ring came from the Miami Heat’s first-ever title, Gary Payton made perennial playoff appearances: he made the postseason for all but two of his 18 NBA seasons.

In a sense, the NBA playoffs were normal for a young Gary Payton II, who made an appearance at one of his dad’s 1996 postseason press conferences.

Payton II’s own challenging path to the league has been one of the strongest storylines in the Warriors 2021-22 season. Not only has Payton II stepped up to become an incredible, valuable asset to the team, but he arrived at a time when the Warriors were looking to prove themselves against fickle doubters. Now, it is the unsuspecting Warriors who have made it all the way to the Finals, and Payton II enjoys the first playoff series of his own.

While Payton II has spoken about how he continued to push for opportunities with the Warriors, a recent interview with Malika Andrews revealed just how much Payton II was looking for his shot in the leaegue.

As much as Payton II wanted to play for the team, he just wanted to be in the building — so he applied for a job with the video team.

Fortunately for all involved, the Warriors moved him up to their roster, and the rest is history, according to Payton II.

"“I knew my chances — they were all telling me that my chances were low to make the team — so they had a video coordinating job open. So I was trying to get in that job, trying to ask for an interview for that job, just to stay around this team, be around the team, see if I could help. You never know, a 10-day might pop up in between that and the video coordinating room. I just stayed with it, and the next thing that happened, they get a call saying, ‘we figured it out’, and I’m staying. So, no more video coordinating job.”"

Gary Payton II almost filmed Warriors games instead of playing in NBA Finals

No matter the outcome, Payton II gets a storybook ending to his underdog story this season because he’s back to the court in the NBA Finals. Earlier in the playoffs, Payton II suffered a fractured elbow as a result of a Dillon Brooks foul, which sidelined GPII for several weeks.

The ever-positive Payton II later detailed his story in The Players Tribune, discussing how his mentality has gotten him this far and he remains grateful for the Warriors fanbase for believing in him.

“The only thing I’m thinking about now is trying to help this team win a championship,” Payton II wrote. “If we can make that happen, it will be a huge group effort. It’ll be all of us in this together. And I won’t lie … I have a really good feeling about it.”