Gary Payton sees self in Avery Bradley, Tony Allen

NBA legend Gary Payton says he sees himself in Avery Bradley and Tony Allen in terms of defense. pic.twitter.com/55R8j5fAVj

— Mark Giongco (@MarkGiongcoINQ) November 22, 2016

One of the fiercest defenders ever, NBA legend Gary Payton sees a lot of what he’s known for in Avery Bradley and Tony Allen.

Like Payton, a 10-time All-NBA Defensive Team member, Bradley and Allen have made a name for themselves locking down opponents and forcing turnovers.

“Avery Bradley tries to play like that for the Boston Celtics,” Payton told INQUIRER.net during a media availability Tuesday at NBA Store Glorietta in Makati when asked if there’s an active player who plays like him.

“And the one who I can say that really, really plays defense is Tony Allen from the Memphis Grizzlies. He may not have the offense that I had but he plays like that. So [those] two guys, they still try to play defense a lot,” Payton added.

The NBA legend is the country for the third time, this time to grace the opening of the NBA Store in Cebu later in the week.

The 48-year-old Payton played for five teams during his 17-year NBA career. He was the second overall pick by Seattle in 1990 and has his best years with the SuperSonics where he teamed up with Shawn Kemp to form one of the most exciting duos in NBA history.

Payton won his only NBA championship as part of the Miami Heat in 2006.

Among his other accolades is a nine-time All-Star and a two-time Olympic gold medalist.