FRISCO, TEXAS – JULY 24: Head coach Gary Payton of Bivouac looks on during a game against Bivouac
“My mom was dying from cancer and I wanted her off all the medications that were basically killing her,” says Gary Payton, recalling the deeply personal journey that brought him to cannabis. “I wanted her to live and she wasn’t responding to the things that I was doing. So I tried cannabis, and it brought her back. In those last days, she was able to talk, laugh, smile. I wanted to remember my mom that way,” he shares.
Still connected to basketball—coaching, mentoring and practicing daily—Payton has now expanded his focus to a new passion: promoting cannabis for wellness. His latest venture, Greater Purpose, launched in partnership with Green Label Rx, debuted earlier this year and represents his broader mission to make cannabis accessible as a natural alternative for pain relief and recovery.
While Payton already has a globally recognized cannabis strain named after him, his relationship with the plant remains practical. “I never smoked weed. I don’t do it now,” he says. “It wasn’t for me. But I’ve seen what it can do for people, and that’s why I believe in it,” he adds, clarifying that his interest lies in cannabis’s therapeutic potential rather than recreational use.
However, there are two people who could make him reconsider his stance on smoking weed: “Only two people, I would probably smoke a joint with right now: Bob Marley and my mom,” he says with a smile. For Payton, both figures symbolize a connection to cannabis rooted in peace, healing and memory—a poignant reflection on how cannabis can transcend simple use and take on a more profound meaning.
H/T: Forbes.com
