"It was his production" - Gary Payton makes his feelings clear about his portrayal in Michael Jordan documentary 'The Last Dance'

Gary Payton, or the "Glove," is considered one of the greatest defensive guards in NBA history. The former Seattle Supersonics star was a formidable opponent and will perennially be looked at as arguably the toughest assignment Michael Jordan had to break down.

However, in a segment of "The Last Dance," Jordam was seen laughing off any discussion about Payton having troubled him in their encounter in the 1996 NBA finals, especially in light of Sonics coach George Karl's statement that they probably could have taken the series if he had assigned Payton the duty of guarding Jordan earlier in the season.

When questioned about his thoughts on the same, Payton joked about how it was Jordan's production and how he would not have expected the narrative to flow a different way from that of the Chicago Bulls superstar.

Payton shared his comments on Tuesday's "Knuckleheads," with former NBA players Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles.

"It was his production," Payton said (Timestamp: 23:49). "I wouldn't even respect MJ if he would have said anything else. That's his production. He post a giggle and laugh because I giggled and laughed too, because everybody know what was good, you know what I'm saying?"

"When I switched on him, a lot of things changed... but we are not going to say we would have won or whatever if I would have guarded him earlier, but it would have been a good matchup," Payton added.

As Glove puts it, it was Jordan's production, and for the narrative, laughing it off seemed the best way.

Gary Payton "outplayed" Michael Jordan in the second half of their finals series, per the late Bill Walton

NBA legend Bill Walton noted that Gary Payton had stymied Michael Jordan and made it difficult for him to assert his usual dominance in the NBA finals after coach George Karl put Payton on MJ.

In Game 6 of the NBA finals, despite the Chicago Bulls securing the win, Jordan was just 5-for-19 and set a career-low in scoring in the finals. The game before that was MJ's second-lowest scoring game in the finals.

Chicago Bulls Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman, 1996 NBA Finals - Source: Getty

"The Last Dance" delivered some of the most engaging basketball narratives from the 90s to the modern era of basketball fans and may have colored some opinions about the likes of Gary Payton and Scottie Pippen, amongst others. Nevertheless, the Glove was regarded as a ferocious competitor and a problem for opposing players.