Sometimes, mere physical attributes are not enough to get success in the high octane world of the NBA. And that is exactly the mantra which Gary Payton II followed in order to get inside the head of his opponent. Going up against the Washington Wizards, the Golden State Warriors faced a must win situation to keep their hopes alive for the playoffs.
And Gary Payton II knew, key to success for the Wizards was none other than his ex-teammate, Jordan Poole. Resorting to an out-of-the-box approach, Payton II untied Poole’s shoelaces! What’s more? When Poole complained to the referee about Payton II’s little prank, he outright denied it!
However, after the game, Gary Payton II shed light on the entire incident on ‘Warriors Postgame Live’ “That’s just, just mind games with JP. That’s just mind games, It’s all right. I knew he was going to, I know he was going to tell the ref, so get him, get him off of basketball for a quick second and bother him a little bit, but you know, always, always a pleasure, going up against JP,” said the Warriors’ star.
GP2 untied Jordan Poole’s shoes then denied it to the refs 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/Wq4RLpiiSO
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) January 19, 2025
Surely enough, the trick worked. While Poole was looking dangerous dropping 38 points, the prank set him off a tad bit. And it was enough for the Warriors to take advantage and clinch the game 122-114. Meanwhile, this was not the only time Gary Payton II had been animated on the court. Back in December 2024, Payton II was visibly frustrated with his teammate, Brandin Podziemski.
Gary Payton II Expressed Frustration On Brandin Podziemski
Back in late December, the Warriors faced off against the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, despite securing a victory, there was a particular play that Garry Payton II was not happy about. During the match, Timberwolves’ Naz Reid made an attempt to pass but it went off-target.
Seizing the momentum, Brandin Podziemski caught the ball and rushed towards the basket with no apparent interference. Unfortunately, things went haywire as his layup got fumbled, missing a golden scoring opportunity.
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GP2 had the same reaction as everyone pic.twitter.com/Goxagx67IH
— warriorsworld (@warriorsworld) December 22, 2024
This made Payton II displeased as he could be seen visibly frustrated at the botched play. Thankfully, the miss did not impact the game much and Warriors clinched a 113-103 victory. Thus, with the Warriors now gaining momentum after a loose start, it remains to be seen what awaits next for them.
