What is Gary Payton's net worth? Exploring the Hall of Famer's career earnings, endorsements and more

Gary Payton is widely considered one of the greatest defensive guards ever and enjoyed a celebrated career that got him first-ballot Hall of Famer status.

After being drafted second in 1990 by the Seattle SuperSonics, the guard went on to establish himself as a household name in Seattle, spending 13 seasons with the franchise. In 2003, the franchise decided to call time with their cornerstone, opting to trade him in a deal that got them the next young athletic guard to lead them to glory: Ray Allen.

Post-trade, Payton enjoyed a journeyman career driven by an ambition to win an NBA championship to help him "complete basketball." This, too, met with success as Payton became an NBA champion in 2006 with Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal as part of the Miami Heat.

The former DPOY certainly earned the big bucks with his performances in the NBA. Payton earned $104 million through his 17 seasons in the league and was one of the highest-earning guards in the league at his peak.

Beyond the same, Payton amassed quite a lot of money, utilizing his stardom and popularity to good effect. Today, at the age of 51, Payton is worth around $50 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Gary Payton made some of his millions acting in Hollywood movies

Gary Payton's penchant for entertainment did not stop with basketball, and led to Hollywood

The nine-time NBA All-Star had a rendezvous with the bright lights of Hollywood and has acted in a few movies such as White Men Can't Jump, Jump, Eddie, Like Mike and the Lego Movie 2: The Second Part. That certainly added a few million to his cash reserves.

Payton was also regarded as one of the most savvy sneakerheads in the NBA and his association with Nike was also well documented. That was likely the biggest endorsement deal the former Seattle star worked with. At one point, Gary Payton was even a featured athlete for Nike, modeling the special player edition Nike Air Thrill Flights.

Acting and endorsements aside, Payton also has his fair share of business ventures, which keep the money churning in the system. The former All-NBA guard owns and promotes CannaSports, a cannabis product line that aims to provide a solution for athletes on the lookout for safe, addiction-free pain relief.

With his son Gary Payton II also establishing himself as an NBA regular, the revenue stream to the Payton family from basketball isn't likely to end soon. That $50 million evaluation is more likely to go up than down for "The Glove" at this point in time.