Laki Play brings excitement to basketball fans with exclusive interview with NBA legend Gary Payton
Payton looks back at illustrious career, gives inspiration to young ballers
07 October 2025 Manila, Philippines — Laki Play, the Philippines' first officially licensed fantasy sports provider, treated Filipino basketball fans with an exclusive panel with 2006 NBA champion and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Gary Payton alongside event host, radio DJ and podcast presenter Tin Gamboa, former professional player Jared Dillinger, and resident fantasy basketball expert Papi Roi.
A nine-time NBA All-Star and nine-time All-Defensive First Team member with a career spanning 17 seasons, Payton shared stories from his decorated career, including his unforgettable “Welcome to the NBA” moment against Michael Jordan, and offered timeless pieces of advice for today’s youth.
“If you think you’ve learned everything you could learn in any field, you should hang up your shoes,” Payton said, echoing lessons from his college coach at Oregon State, the great Ralph Miller.
He also gave some advice to aspiring basketball players, saying, “I am never against learning anything, whether in business, in life, or in basketball. Kids have to understand there will always be someone greater. Work hard, keep learning, and soak up all the knowledge you can to become the best person you can be.”
To celebrate his visit, Payton also drafted his ultimate five-man Laki Play lineup, picking Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton as point guard for his playmaking ability, Minnesota Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards as guard for his shooting prowess, L.A. Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard at small forward, praising his two-way dominance and game-changing defense, Dallas Mavericks’ Anthony Davis at power forward commending his point making skills and defense, and Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić at center for his rebounding, passing, and MVP-caliber impact.
During the interview, Payton also tried the local treat, halo-halo, and posed with Laki Play’s honor players during a special meet-and-greet session.
For more information on joining the Laki Play community and creating your NBA fantasy team, you may visit https://www.lakiplay.com.
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ABOUT LAKI PLAY
Laki Play is the first officially licensed platform in the Philippines, offering NBA contests to create fantasy basketball teams. All users can play Laki Play on the web (https://www.lakiplay.com) or app (https://news.lakiplay.com/app/download). Laki Play is a PAGCOR-licensed game with 24/7 customer support, available for deposit and withdrawal to level up the experiences of Filipino fantasy sports.
Basketball fans can now share the excitement of fantasy sports with their friends through Laki Play’s new Referral Program. When a player invites a friend to join, both the inviter and the invitee receive 100 coins, giving them extra entry credits to jump into upcoming contests and start competing right away. For more information, visit https://news.lakiplay.com/.
