Monique James: Athlete, Mother, and the Woman Behind Gary Payton II’s Foundation

Monique James is the former wife of NBA Hall of Famer Gary Payton and the mother of Raquel, Gary Payton II, and Julian Payton. Long before most basketball fans knew her name, she was an athlete herself. She played basketball at Skyline High School in Oakland, competed in track and field, and later became a standout guard at Merritt College. Today, she serves as an Executive Director of the Gary Payton II Foundation, which focuses on dyslexia screening, assessments, and support for children and families, where her family’s experience with dyslexia has become the heart of her public work.

Her life connects several worlds that rarely get told together. There was competitive sport before marriage, family life during Gary Payton’s NBA years, years of helping a child who learned differently, and a later move into nonprofit leadership. That wider story gives a much clearer picture of who she is than the label “Gary Payton’s ex-wife” ever could.

An Athlete Before the Payton Name Became Part of Her Story

Monique grew up in Oakland, California, and sports were already a serious part of her life as a teenager.

In a detailed Andscape profile, she recalled playing basketball at Skyline High School while also competing in track and field. Her events included the 100 meters, 200 meters, hurdles, long jump, and high jump.

She was not a casual participant. She described herself as one of the fastest players on her basketball team and said her coach pushed her toward track because of that speed.

Her athletic path continued at Merritt College in Oakland. There, she became a two-time all-Golden Gate Conference basketball player and helped the team win conference titles in both of her seasons.

Former Merritt coach Fred Brown remembered her as a smart guard with strong grades and a high basketball IQ. Andscape reported that she still held the school record for steals in a game with 15, while ranking among Merritt’s career leaders in steals and assists.

That athletic background became part of Gary II’s story too. His father was one of the NBA’s great defensive guards, but his mother also brought speed, balance, instincts, and competitive experience into the family.

Gary Payton Sr. once joked that he did not know where his son’s leaping ability came from. The answer, people around the family often suggested, might have been Monique.

Marriage, Family Life, and Three Children

Gary Payton and Monique James built a life together during the height of his NBA career.

Sports Illustrated later described a family memory from Seattle’s KeyArena, where the couple became engaged during a private dinner at center court. At the time, Payton was the face of the Seattle SuperSonics and one of the league’s most intense stars.

The couple married on July 26, 1997. A contemporary report from The Spokesman-Review covered the wedding and described Monique as Payton’s longtime fiancée.

Together, they raised three children: Raquel, Gary II, and Julian.

NBA records still identify Gary Payton II as the son of Gary and Monique Payton. He was born in Seattle on December 1, 1992, while his father was playing for the SuperSonics.

Family life often moved with the NBA schedule. Gary Sr. spent most of his career in Seattle before later playing for Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Boston, and Miami. The children grew up around arenas, practices, and travel, but Monique’s role was often much quieter than the public side of professional basketball.

Sports Illustrated described her as the parent who watched Gary II’s long path closely and understood how much work it took for him to become a serious player. She later said his journey required patience because he had to build his game step by step.

By 2013, the marriage had ended. Deseret News reported that Gary and Monique had divorced, while also describing the three children they had together.

The end of the marriage did not end the family connection. Both parents remained part of their children’s lives, and Monique’s relationship with Gary II became especially visible as his basketball career developed.

Helping Gary II Through Dyslexia Changed Her Direction

Her later advocacy grew from a problem she first encountered at home when Gary II was struggling with reading.

When her children were young, she made reading part of the family routine. Gary II struggled in ways his brother and sister did not. He often mumbled while reading and had trouble keeping up with classmates.

At first, she did not understand why.

A teacher suggested that he be tested for a learning disability. Monique later said she reacted defensively because she had worked closely with him and did not think of him as a child who needed special help.

The evaluation showed that he had dyslexia.

That diagnosis changed the way she approached his education. Instead of pushing him to learn in the same way as everyone else, she focused on finding the kind of support that worked for him.

CBS San Francisco reported that when the family later lived in Los Angeles, Monique searched for successful public figures who had also dealt with dyslexia. That effort led her to actor Henry Winkler, who spoke with Gary II and helped him see that learning differently did not mean he lacked ability.

The family kept that message with them.

Gary II eventually played college basketball at Oregon State, the same school where his father had starred. He became a two-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and later built an NBA career after going undrafted.

His path was not smooth. He moved through the G League and several NBA teams before finding a lasting role with the Golden State Warriors. In 2022, he became an NBA champion.

One promise mattered just as much to his mother.

He had told her he would finish his college degree. In 2023, he surprised her with his Oregon State diploma. CBS News reported that he had completed a degree in human development and family science.

For Monique, the moment carried years of meaning. The child who once struggled with reading had completed college and returned with proof that the promise had been kept.

From a Family Challenge to the Gary Payton II Foundation

Gary II’s experience eventually became the basis for work aimed at other families facing the same uncertainty.

The Gary Payton II Foundation was created in 2021 to support children and young adults with dyslexia and other language-based learning challenges.

Monique now serves as the foundation’s Executive Director, alongside her daughter Raquel Payton-Childs, who also holds an executive leadership role. The organization focuses on awareness, early screening, certified assessments, family support, and community programs.

The work is personal.

The foundation’s own biography of Monique explains that she learned new ways to support her son after his diagnosis. Years later, that same experience became part of a broader effort to help parents recognize learning differences earlier.

She has spoken openly about the guilt she felt after realizing that some of the habits she once saw as lack of effort were signs of dyslexia.

That honesty gives her advocacy weight. She does not speak as someone who understood everything from the beginning. She speaks as a parent who had to learn, adjust, and ask better questions.

Recent foundation programs have included youth basketball camps, dyslexia screenings, school drives, and financial support for evaluations. KTVU reported that the organization offers free screening and connects families with resources that can otherwise cost thousands of dollars.

In September 2026, Monique remained active in the foundation’s work as it held its Draft Day ’26 fundraiser at Chase Center. NBC Sports Bay Area reported that the event raised $233,500, well above its $150,000 goal, to support dyslexia evaluations and related resources for children and families. During the event, Gary Payton II thanked Monique and Raquel Payton Childs and called them the backbone of the organization.

Monique has stressed the value of early detection because children with dyslexia may become quiet, withdrawn, or embarrassed when school feels harder for them than it does for classmates.

Her goal is not simply to improve reading scores. It is also to help children understand that needing a different learning approach does not mean they are less capable.

Her Work Did Not Begin With the GPII Foundation

The current foundation is the most visible part of Monique’s nonprofit work, but it was not her first attempt to build something around service.

In 2015, she founded Women Standing Tall, an organization focused on women who had overcome difficult life experiences. According to her GPII Foundation biography, the group also raised awareness and money for organizations serving people affected by HIV and AIDS, including LifeLong AIDS Alliance and Project Angel Food.

That project reflected an interest in stories of resilience that later fit naturally with dyslexia advocacy.

She has also worked outside nonprofit leadership. A 2016 interview with The Dream Shake noted that she was working for Saks Fifth Avenue at the time while remaining closely involved in her son’s early professional basketball journey.

Her public role has changed since then, but one theme has stayed steady. Family and service have remained closely connected.

Why Her Own Athletic Story Still Matters

When Gary Payton II became known for defense, quickness, leaping, and energy, it was easy to connect every basketball trait to his Hall of Fame father.

That comparison was natural, but incomplete.

Monique had her own athletic record long before she became a basketball mother. She competed in several track events, played guard, won conference titles, and became known for steals and speed.

Andscape’s reporting gave that part of the family story the attention it deserved.

Her influence also went beyond genetics. She was involved in how her children approached school, discipline, reading, and personal responsibility. When one child struggled, she changed her methods rather than giving up on the expectation that he could succeed.

That combination of athletic background and educational advocacy helps explain why her story still matters even when Gary Sr. and Gary II are the more famous names.

A Life That Grew Beyond the NBA Spotlight

Monique James entered public view because of her marriage to Gary Payton, but the strongest parts of her story are not about celebrity.

She was an athlete before the marriage. She raised three children during the demands of an NBA career. She helped one son understand a learning disability that neither of them recognized at first. She later turned that experience into work that now supports other children and parents.

Today, her role with the Gary Payton II Foundation puts her at the center of that mission.

The family connection remains important, but it no longer explains her whole public identity. Her own path now runs through Oakland sports history, motherhood, education, dyslexia awareness, and nonprofit leadership.

For another people-centered story about a parent whose own life stands apart from a famous child, read our profile of Doughtry Long, Nia Long’s father and a longtime poet and teacher on LakewoodScoop.co.uk.