Gary Payton is among the players born on July 23.
With over 5,000 players in NBA history, at least one player was born on every day of the calendar year – including four leap day ballers. Our day-by-day breakdown of the players born on each day of the year continues.
Below are the most notable NBA players born on July 23.
Gary Payton (1968)
Many consider Payton to be one of the best defenders in NBA history. You had to be a special defender to be nicknamed “The Glove,” and this Hall of Famer earned it. After a stellar collegiate career at Oregon State, Payton was the second overall pick in the 1990 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. Payton would spend the next 13 seasons with the SuperSonics and become a franchise icon. Things really took off for him in 1994 when he made his first of nine All-Star appearances over the next decade. He was also Top 10 in MVP voting in seven of the next eight seasons. Payton took down that award in 1996, leading the league with 2.9 steals per game.
Brandon Roy (1984)
Roy shined brightly during his six seasons in the league. He was a star coming out of the University of Washington, parlaying that stellar collegiate career into being the sixth pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. Roy was a standout immediately, taking down Rookie of the Year in his debut season. He followed that up with three straight All-Star appearances, making All-NBA twice in that span. Roy’s best season was in 2009, when he finished ninth in MVP voting, averaging a career-high 22.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He had to retire shortly after that due to knee injuries, finishing his career averaging 18.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.0 steals throughout his six-year career.
Deandre Ayton (1998)
Ayton was arguably the best player in the country when he was the top pick in the 2018 NBA Draft out of Arizona. The promise he showed at U of A was instantly on display in the NBA as he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. The big man averaged 16.3 points and 10.3 rebounds in that remarkable rookie season and has recorded double-double averages in all seven seasons in the NBA.
The first five of those were with the Phoenix Suns, with Ayton spending the last two with the Portland Trail Blazers. As of 2025, Ayton will begin his next chapter as a member of the Lakers.
Want to see every NBA player born on July 23? Here is the rest of the list in chronological order:
- Coby Dietrick (July 23, 1948)
- Leon Benbow (July 23, 1950)
- Antoine Carr (July 23, 1961)
- Micheal Williams (July 23, 1966)
- Elden Campbell (July 23, 1968)
- Darvin Ham (July 23, 1973)
- Gerald Wallace (July 23, 1982)
- Axel Toupane (July 23, 1992)
- Javonte Green (July 23, 1993)
- Bryn Forbes (July 23, 1993)
- Chris Clemons (July 23, 1997)
