Gary Payton II once struggled with dyslexia in school; years later, his foundation receives $75,000 from the league to help children with similar issue(Getty Images)
In May 2022, the NBA and Kaiser Permanente announced a $75,000 contribution to the foundation after Payton received the Bob Lanier Community Assist Award. Payton’s mother, Monique, made her children read for 30 minutes every night. I didn’t realize he had a learning disability,” Monique told ESPN in April 2022. Payton eventually earned a place on the Warriors’ roster and went on to win an NBA championship with the team in 2022. The GPII Foundation was established during the 2021-22 season to raise awareness and support young people with learning disabilities. The NBA recognised that work when it named Payton the first winner of the Bob Lanier Community Assist Award for the 2021-22 season. The league announced the honour on May 31, 2022, and confirmed that the NBA and Kaiser Permanente would contribute $75,000 to his foundation in recognition of the league’s 75th anniversary season. The $75,000 contribution followed another award Payton received earlier that year. In March 2022, the NBA announced him as the January recipient of its monthly NBA Cares Community Assist Award. The league and Kaiser Permanente pledged a separate $10,000 to the GPII Foundation as part of that recognition. His 2024 fundraiser raised more than $80,000
Because i had been so hard on him, “I remember crying. ESPN reported that he had been cut from teams four times in six years and spent time in the G League.
She later told ESPN’s Kendra Andrews that she felt guilty about how hard she had pushed him before understanding his learning difficulty. Reading was not easy for Gary Payton II when he was growing up. He often struggled to get through his schoolwork and found it difficult to read aloud in class. His family eventually learned that he had dyslexia, a learning disability that affected his experience in the classroom. Years later, the Golden State Warriors guard turned that experience into a reason to help other children. He started the GPII Foundation to support young people with learning disabilities. His brother Julian and sister Raquel could complete the task without much trouble, but Gary struggled. His mother often heard him mumbling while trying to get through the pages. His teacher eventually suggested that the family have him tested for dyslexia. Monique initially found the possibility difficult to accept. Payton also found it difficult to read in front of his classmates. He worried about standing out and did not always feel comfortable asking teachers for help. His family later arranged tutoring, and he began to understand that he learned better when he could see information rather than only hear it. His path to the NBA was not straightforward either. At one point, after another setback with Golden State, he even considered applying for a job in the Warriors’ video department so he could remain around the game. Assistant coach Jama Mahlalela had a different plan. He encouraged Payton to keep playing instead. Payton’s experience with dyslexia also shaped his work away from basketball. The foundation’s work includes supporting early screening, detection and certified assessments for young people with learning disabilities. It also helps educators pursue certification in early intervention services. Payton had already been working with children through community programmes. He hosted a Reading Rally with Decoding Dyslexia and invited young people from the organisation and the UCSF Dyslexia Center to Warriors home games through his ticket section, called “Mr. Mean’s Team. The Warriors also expanded their Read to Achieve programme to include students with learning disabilities. These efforts gave Payton a way to use his own experience to encourage children who faced similar challenges at school.
Payton continued his work through the foundation’s inaugural Pouring Possibilities fundraiser in Napa, California, on March 17, 2024. The event raised more than $80,000 for dyslexia awareness, according to Andscape’s Marc J. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines The foundation’s work has continued beyond the NBA contribution and the 2024 fundraiser. In June 2026, it announced its fifth annual GPII Premier Youth Camp in partnership with Kaiser Permanente. The two-day camp took place on July 1 and 2 in Oakland.
But I was going at him a lot telling him he wasn’t going to make it and things like that,” Payton Sr. said at the event, as reported by Andscape.
He spoke about the tough approach he had taken while raising his son and admitted that he had often told him he would not make it. Spears. One of the most personal moments came when Payton’s father, Hall of Famer Gary Payton Sr., surprised him with a speech. “My son didn’t come up bad. Payton II became emotional as he listened. He later explained that hearing his father express pride brought back feelings from his childhood. He had spent years trying to understand his father’s tough approach, and the moment gave him an opportunity to let go of some of that pain. His mother Monique and sister Raquel Payton-Childs also played important roles in the foundation’s work. Raquel serves as its executive director. It brought young people together for basketball, mentorship and health and wellness activities. The foundation also made scholarships available for students with dyslexia and offered resources to support their families. Payton’s own story remains central to the foundation’s mission. His experience in school was difficult, but he eventually found ways to learn, continued pursuing basketball and reached the NBA. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.
Through the GPII Foundation, he is now working to help children get support earlier and feel more confident about how they learn.