NAPA, Calif. – The event appeared to be coming to an end when Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II delivered the closing remarks on the inaugural “Puring Possibilities: A Fundraiser Mixer Benefitting Dyslexia” event, which raised greater than $80,000 on Sunday. Eleven Eleven Winery’s DJ was about to spin R&B and rap on the second floor while patrons like rapper E-40 headed to the sparkling pool. But before a single song could possibly be played or one other glass of wine could possibly be poured, former NBA star Gary Payton Sr. surprised everyone by stepping as much as the rostrum and praising his son.

“Listen, my son didn’t do bad. But I often attacked him, saying he wouldn’t survive and things like that. He chose the difficult path and went to junior college. He came for me at Oregon State,” Payton Sr. said. “We only wanted (expected) $50,000 and now we’ve got $80,000. It is wonderful. I’ll never get in his way again. The fact is, I was hard on him. I’m currently sitting quietly. And I’m very proud of my son because I can just sit there and never say anything. Just don’t do anything. And that is great.

“But really, with my son, I’m not fascinated with basketball. Really not. The neatest thing about him is that each time someone comes as much as me, he tells me what an exquisite person my son is. I’m not fascinated with basketball. Really not, because all they are saying about your son is, “He’s great.” He’s an exquisite man. “

Payton II stood against the wall and listened intently, holding a glass of wine in his left hand and wiping tears with his right forearm. He later said that his father’s words caused confusion and pain during his childhood. Gary Payton Sr. gave his son the identical Oakland, California, tough love he received from his father, Al “Mr. “Mean” Payton. Payton Sr. said his father’s tough love pushed him to change into an NBA star.

Payton II said he and his father argued for years because he didn’t understand his tough love method. But now, like his father, Payton II is an NBA champion, a formidable defender and an NBA veteran. In front of a crowd that included his mother Monique, sister Raquel Payton Childs, family friend E-40, NBA agent Aaron Goodwin and others, it was a thrill for Payton II to listen to for the primary time how proud his father was of him .

“I used to argue with him (verbally) as a kid,” Payton II, whose Warriors play the Memphis Grizzlies, said on ESPN Wednesday night (10 p.m. ET). “And now that I heard what he said, it jogged my memory of every thing I remembered from once I was a toddler. All the emotions. I was just being tough and thought he was picking on me, not knowing it was out of love.

“Everything finally involves light. I finally quit and move on. I’ve never heard that from him. This is different.”

Being the son of a basketball hall of famer didn’t guarantee Payton II anything aside from added pressure and a well-recognized name.

Payton II didn’t have the grades to earn a scholarship out of highschool. He attended prep school for a 12 months and played juco basketball for 2 years before following in his father’s footsteps and transferring to Oregon State. He was released by NBA teams 4 times in six years and spent five years within the NBA G League, finding stability with the Warriors in 2021 after earning the ultimate roster spot.

“He was the No. 2 pick (in the NBA draft) and he was recruited to go wherever he wanted to go,” Payton II said of his father. “I was literally the other. It took him a while to grasp this. But he understands it (now), has accepted it, and realizes that I even have my very own path to find. He saw that I understood it.

Payton senior credited Warriors coach Steve Kerr with believing in his son and at last strengthening his position within the NBA. Kerr liked Payton II’s athleticism, his “game-changing” on-ball defense and the way he played at a “high level” with All-Star guard Stephen Curry.

“I like guys who have had to fight for everything and deal with adversity, ups and downs,” Kerr said. “You always root for guys like that. But there is an inherent thread with them. There’s a reason why Gary, who graduated five years ago, was still struggling to get into the league. He played for six or seven G League teams… That kind of character is enticing.”

Payton II’s basketball story can be motivating and can’t be told without detailing his experiences with dyslexia.

Monique Payton was an avid reader, took her children to the library, and enjoyed reading books for 20-Half-hour each evening. Payton II’s younger brother, Julian, and older sister, Raquel, easily complied with their mother’s request. However, Payton II was struggling and didn’t understand why. His mother continually heard him mumbling to himself and insisted that he start talking. Payton II was also embarrassed attempting to sustain with his classmates in school.

“I didn’t know why I couldn’t figure it out and everyone else in my class could,” Payton II said.

Payton II’s fourth-grade teacher told his mother that her son needs to be tested for dyslexia. Although she was very defensive at first, she eventually agreed to let her son take the test. The results showed that he did indeed have dyslexia, and he immediately received tutoring and every thing he needed to finish his education from primary school. He currently holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon.

“At that age, I was still confused,” Payton II said. “I even have learning difficulties. What does this really mean? Do I (must) take a distinct path, do various things than what my classmates did? But I got a tutor and it broke down tips on how to study and make every thing make sense to me. It became normal. It was a distinct way than my classmates taught me.

“We got the help I needed to find my way of learning and break things down. I just stuck to the process and continued to ask for help at every level I was going through.”

Payton Sr. and Monique Payton recall how stunned they were after they learned their son had dyslexia.

“It hit me hard because we didn’t have a lot of solutions to this in the ’90s,” Payton Sr. said. “We thought it would be a problem.”

“There was loads of emotion. I felt guilty because I was so hard on him. I told him, “Speak up, son.” Stop mumbling. Nobody will understand you. “I felt sad because all this time I didn’t know that I wasn’t there for him and I couldn’t understand what he was going through to support him,” Monique Payton said.

Mariah L. Pospisil of the University of California, San Francisco, spoke at a Gary Payton II Foundation (GPII) event. The lifelong educator and education advocate has worked with a whole bunch of students with dyslexia.

“The International Dyslexia Association defines it as a specific learning disability with a neurobiological basis,” Pospisil said. “Characterized by difficulty with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically arise from the phonological or auditory component of language and are sometimes unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and ensuring effective classroom instruction. Neuroscientists have identified brain patterns, or neurosignatures, present in individuals with dyslexia.

Pospisil added that children from marginalized communities or fighting systemic racism face greater challenges in learning they’ve dyslexia and getting help for it. She said African-American students are rarely diagnosed with dyslexia and usually tend to be diagnosed with emotional and behavioral disorders. Moreover, Pospisil said, basics and the like are crucial for Black, Latino and multilingual children with dyslexia.

“I understand why you might mumble or say something under your breath because you don’t have that confidence,” Payton II said. “You don’t want to say something and be wrong. It’s a primal thing when you’re young because you can’t understand it. It’s okay to ask for help. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help. For African American children, learning is huge for them in terms of self-confidence and being able to continue learning as they grow up.”

Payton II is averaging 5.3 points and a pair of.8 rebounds off the bench in 15.3 minutes this season for the Warriors. As a player for the Warriors, who has a “huge platform,” Payton believes he can attract more attention for his charity work on behalf of individuals with dyslexia.

Payton II says he now feels more comfortable talking about dyslexia because of the number of people he helps.

“I didn’t realize how many people went through the same thing I went through growing up,” Payton II said. “Because of my personality and the way I can naturally highlight this case and topic, I can put it on the market with probably the largest brand they’ve in sports. You can touch many individuals…

“It’s amazing how many children and adults say, ‘I have dyslexia.’ “My child has dyslexia.” At least one person in every city says something. When I go to the bus, there is at least someone in every city (who says this). They are happy that I am using my platform for a good cause. It’s truly mind-blowing to me.”

Payton II found it “amazing” that his foundation raised greater than $80,000 for dyslexia awareness. He expressed deep appreciation for his mother, Monique, and sister Raquel – the inspiration’s executive chairman and executive director, respectively – for bringing their continued passion and energy to lift awareness about dyslexia. Even as tough as Payton Sr. is on Payton II, all he could offer was love and pride in what his son had completed for his charity.

“My pride in him is overwhelming,” Payton Sr. said. “I’m probably not fascinated with basketball. Basketball shouldn’t be for me. I just think concerning the situation we’re in now, about his human side, about individuals who like him for the person he’s.

“Basketball will come. We are talented. But that is the human side. When people come as much as me and say, ‘The only thing I like about you is that you just did an amazing job along with your kid because he’s an amazing person,’ that is the only thing I care about.”