In Game 1 of Warriors-Grizzlies, Gary Payton II breaks out same ‘head scratch’ celebration that got him in trouble previously

Gary Payton II is left scratching his head after a first quarter poster dunk against the Memphis Grizzlies on May 1, 2022.

Screenshot from Twitter

Prior to Game 1 of the Golden State Warriors’ second-round playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies, Dubs coach Steve Kerr announced a surprising lineup swap: Gary Payton II was named a starter, and Jordan Poole returned to the bench.

And early in the first quarter of Game 1, Payton II made Kerr’s decision look like a sound one. He jolted down the lane for an explosive left-handed jam over Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane, who isn’t exactly an easy poster target. Afterwards, Payton II broke out his quiet signature celebration, the “head scratch.”

It’s a subtle, perfect post-dunk celebration. It could mean so many things, all of which are funny and borderline disrespectful to his opponents. Which is also why not everyone on the receiving end of the celebration is a fan. Bane didn’t seem to take offense, which makes sense given that it’s Game 1 of a potentially long playoff series. But back in January, when Payton II completed a poster dunk on Indiana Pacers big man Goga Bitadze, he “head-scratched” a little too close to Bitadze — who responded by upping the stakes with a full-on head butt.

Payton II said afterwards that he never spoke a word to Bitadze, which might be true. That doesn’t change the fact that when you dunk on someone, stare them down, and then scratch your head in puzzlement, the other person might get pissed off.

Anyway, it’s a 10/10 taunt from Payton II. We’ll see if he gets another chance to break it out against the Grizzlies.

Alex Shultz is the sports editor for SFGATE. You can reach him at alex.shultz@sfgate.com.