Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (left) drives against Washington Wizards guard Jared Butler (front right) during the first half of an NBA basketball game on Sunday, April 14, 2024 in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne.)AP
Payton Pritchard had a career-year while playing for the Boston Celtics during the regular season.
Pritchard has emerged as a vital contributor off the bench for the Celtics, whom will face the Cleveland Cavaliers in a conference semifinal playoff series beginning Tuesday. When Pritchard does take the court, he is likely to put on Sabrina Ionescu’s iconic Nike shoes.
Her shoes are probably more comfortable out there right now,” Pritchard informed reporters recently. “It’s lightweight. “I like it.”
Throughout the 2023-24 season, the guard averaged 9.6 points, 3.4 assists, and 3.2 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game, all career highs. He also shot 46.8% from the field and 38.5% from three, both career highs.
Pritchard and Ionescu are freshmen at Oregon in 2016, and they both played four years before moving on to the professional level.
“Me and Sabrina are in a similar class, and we went to Oregon together as freshmen,” Pritchard told reporters. “I’ve known her for a long time.”
Ionescu was chosen first overall by the WNBA’s New York Liberty in the 2020 draft. Pritchard became the Celtics’ 26th pick in the first round of the 2020 NBA draft.
Pritchard and the Celtics continue their quest for an NBA championship, while Ionescu and the Liberty kick off their 2024 WNBA season on May 14.
