Jason Kidd and Gary Payton were arguably the two best point guards of the 1990s, and both called the Bay Area home. In the early and mid-90s, they teamed up in the San Francisco Bay Area Summer Pro-Am League and formed what may be the greatest summer backcourt of all time.
Kidd played in the Pro-Am during 1992, 1995, and 1996. His teams won the league championship all three seasons and didn’t lose a single game in any of those runs.
This West Coast pairing came together the same summer the original Dream Team dominated the Olympics in Barcelona. And just like the national squad, the Bay’s version stayed undefeated.
The SF Pro-Am, held at Kezar Pavilion, was real, and the gym was packed. NBA players, college stars, overseas pros, and local legends all showed out. Kidd and Payton brought full-court pressure, physical defense, and constant disruption. They broke down guards, blew up passing lanes, and dictated tempo on both ends.
Over the years, the league has featured names like Jason Richardson, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Jon, Brent and Drew Barry, Brian Shaw, Jalen Rose, Tim Hardaway, Kevin Johnson, Steve Nash, Michael Olowokandi, Adonal Foyle, Gilbert Arenas, Drew Gooden, Jim Barnett, Sonny Parker, Phil Smith, Snake Jones, Quintin Dailey, Kurt Rambis, John Lucas, Gus Johnson, Eddie Joe Chavez, and Bucky Chavez.
1992 Bay Pride Roster
Members: Jason Kidd (NBA) - Gary Payton (NBA) - Brian Shaw (NBA) - Antonio Davis (NBA) - Monte Buckley (Cal) - Al Gribsby - Reggie Smith
In 1992, Jason Kidd was heading into his freshman season of college. Gary Payton was entering his third year in the NBA. Neither had yet become the All-NBA legends they would grow into, but the foundation was already there. This Bay Pride roster featured some of the best talent the region had ever produced.
Antonio Davis, a future NBA All-Star, dominated inside. Brian Shaw, then with the Orlando Magic, spaced the floor with his outside shooting. College standout Monty Buckley helped round out the lineup. Four players from this squad — Kidd, Payton, Davis, and Shaw, are still considered among the greatest hoopers to ever come out of the Bay.
The original West Coast dream team wasn’t in Barcelona, it was at Kezar Pavilion. The Bay Area Pride of 1992 went the entire summer without losing a single game. Their undefeated run in the San Francisco Pro-Am set the tone for what became a golden era of loaded summer league rosters in the Bay.
1995 Bay Pride Roster
Members: Jason Kidd (NBA) - Gary Payton (NBA) - Brian Shaw (NBA) - Raymond "Circus" King - Monty Buckley (CAL) - Jaha Wilson (USC)
By the summer of 1995, the entire basketball world knew who both Jason Kidd and Gary Payton were. Gary Payton, normally of the Seattle Sonics in the NBA and currently with Bay Pride in the Bay Area Pro-Am Basketball League, took these summer games very seriously.
As the 16th season of the San Francisco Bay Area Pro-Am Basketball League came to a close at Kezar Pavilion Wednesday night, an overflow crowd of 5,000 could only hope they weren't seeing the last gathering of NBA stars until next year's league.
“We come to play,” Payton said after scoring 33 points to lead Bay Pride over San Francisco, 115–101, in Game 1 of the best-of-three championship series at Kezar Pavilion Monday night. “Any time I play basketball, I take it seriously.” Payton was one of three NBA stars on Bay Pride, teaming with Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks (17 points) and Brian Shaw of the Orlando Magic (10 points). The most excitement, however, was generated by a spectator, Deion Sanders, of the San Francisco Giants and possibly the 49ers. Sanders sat in the top row, a white baseball cap on sideways. A handful of bodyguards kept at bay hordes of kids seeking autographs.
Oakland native Gary Payton, who hoped to earn a living with the Seattle Sonics that coming fall, dazzled the fans by making 12 of 17 field-goal attempts for 39 points to lead Bay Pride to a 116–113 win and a 2–0 sweep of San Francisco to win the championship series. Payton, who played at Skyline High in Oakland, scored the go-ahead field goal with 43 seconds left in the game to put Bay Pride up 114–110. Dallas' Jason Kidd, a neighbor of Payton's, scored the final Bay Pride points on free throws with 17 seconds left to put the game away. He was 11-for-20 from the field with three steals for 35 points. "They jumped on us early and showed a lot of heart," said Orlando Magic guard Brian Shaw, who added 15 points for Bay Pride.
1996 Bay Pride Roster
Members: Jason Kidd (NBA) - Shareef Abdur-Rahim (NBA) - Eddie House (NBA) - Rex Walters (NBA) - Raymond "Circus" King - Monty Buckley (CAL) - Jaha Wilson (USC) - Darren Brown (colgate) - Bennett Davison (Arizona) - Michael Stewart (NBA)
With Gary Payton absent in the 1996 summer, Jason Kidd took it upon himself to represent Bay Pride. The 1996 summer would see Kidd set the SF Pro-Am scoring record with 52 points in a regular season game.
Alongside Kidd, this team had a bevy of future NBA talent, including Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Eddie House, Rex Walters, and Michael Stewart. Antonio Davis had been replaced by Abdur-Rahim, Eddie House had replaced Gary Payton, and Rex Walters did his best to impersonate Brian Shaw.
In 1996 they faced fierce competition as other teams had stacked there talent, with future NBA starters like Brevin Knight and current pros like Dell Demps of the San Antonio Spurs.
Riordan High graduate Jaha Wilson, a forward who would be a senior at USC that fall, poured in 28 points Thursday night to lead Bay Pride to a 108–93 victory over East Bay in the semifinals of the Bay Area Pro-Am basketball playoffs at Kezar Pavilion. Wilson’s 11-for-13 shooting overshadowed the efforts of two more famous teammates, Jason Kidd and Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Kidd, the Dallas Mavericks' All-Star guard, was 7-for-11 for 19 points, while ex-Cal forward Abdur-Rahim, recently signed by the Vancouver Grizzlies, had 17 points. Eddie House, who graduated in 1996 from Hayward High and was headed for Arizona State, contributed 14 points to the winning cause on 6-for-9 shooting.
Rex Walters recalls that magical summer of 1996: "I always thought I was the best person on the floor," Walters said.
He wasn’t joking. A look at the old box scores shows that Walters scored 19 and 22 points in the two championship games, both of which Bay Pride swept. He outscored Kidd in the first game and Abdur-Rahim in the second.
The team’s founder, Jon Greenberg, hailed the 1996 roster as one of the most talented in the league’s history. "When he got out on the court, he was so calm and collected," Greenberg said. "I was waiting for enthusiasm to burst out, but it didn’t. He got his fair share of rebounds and points. The flash that other guys presented, he didn’t have, but he had a wealth of talent." Bay Pride’s dominance, packed crowds, and the unforgettable atmosphere of Kezar left an enduring mark on the Pro-Am landscape.
Dallas Mavericks star Jason Kidd scored 32 points to lead Bay Pride to a 108–105 win over the Bay Raiders and the championship of the 17th Bay Area Pro-Am Basketball League. Rex Walters contributed 22 points to assist Kidd in the scoring effort. About 5,000 fans jammed the aisles and baseline balconies at Kezar Pavilion to watch Kidd hit 11 of 19 shots (including five of six from 3-point range) as Bay Pride completed a two-game sweep.
For three summers, Bay Pride didn't just show up. They set the standard. With names like Kidd, Payton, Shaw, Davis, Abdur-Rahim, and Walters running the floor at Kezar, the Bay Area Pro-Am was more than a local summer league. It was a proving ground. What started as high-level runs turned into something bigger. Packed gyms. NBA-level talent. Real pride on the line. And for the next generation watching from the bleachers or along the baseline, it was a blueprint. Proof that it could be done. A clear example of what greatness looked like up close.