Boston Celtics' Payton Pritchard plays against young fans in viral video: "Felt like a kid again."
BOSTON – Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard was knocking down shots Monday at TD Garden. But a day earlier, he was doing the same at a much smaller venue in a viral moment.
Payton Pritchard viral video
Pritchard and his wife, Emma Pritchard, were out for a coffee walk and headed to a dog park Sunday in Boston's Seaport District.
The dog park was near a basketball court where a small group of children was playing. Pritchard said he was wearing a winter hat and sweatsuit, so he didn't think anyone would notice him. But the young fans did.
"These kids saw me from afar and they were yelling," Pritchard said.
Eventually, the point guard went over and accepted their challenge for some pickup basketball.
"I didn't go over there right away. And then I ended up going over there and it was pretty low key. We were just messing around really. I was playing one-on-one with them," Pritchard said after Monday's game. "They were actually pretty good though. Little scrappy kids getting after it. I definitely appreciated it. I was talking a little bit. I like moments like that. Just felt like a kid again playing outside."
Emma Pritchard posted a video on Instagram of Pritchard backing one of the boys down in the paint, and rimming home a jumper, saying "We took our dog to the park and I turn around and find him here."
"I got a bucket on him though," Pritchard joked.
Emma Pritchard's post was shared on other social media platforms, garnering millions of views.
Who is Payton Pritchard?
Pritchard was one of the main reasons the Celtics earned a 119-108 win over the Bucks at TD Garden. He poured home 28 points off the bench, drilling eight threes in the process.
Pritchard was drafted 26th overall in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft out of Oregon.
The guard has averaged 7.7 points per game in his career. Pritchard is off the best start of his Boston tenure, averaging 16.3 points per game in the first four contests of the season, all Celtics wins.
Pritchard has become known for his end of quarter heaves, including the signature shot from beyond halfcourt he sunk against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
Pritchard nailed another buzzer-beating shot Monday in the closing second of the third quarter against the Bucks to help Boston take control of the game.
In 2023, Pritchard signed a four-year contract that will pay him $7.5 million per season.