Payton Pritchard demonstrated his quality on and off the NBA court when his wife, Emma MacDonald, captured the Celtics star surprising a young fan and posted the moment on her Instagram Story.
The couple was out for a leisurely walk with their dogs when the 26-year-old saw a young man playing alone and decided to give the fan a moment to remember.
Unable to resist some target practice, Pritchard ended up in a one-on-one fight with the fan. In the video posted by Emma, Payton is seen backing up the young player before stopping and hitting a bumpy jump shot.
“We took our dog to the park and I turn around and find him here,” Emma wrote in the clip.
Pritchard can be heard taunting the fan, saying “Watch your hand, brother,” repeatedly as his defender smiles as he goes for the ball.
Payton Pritchard’s wife posted a video of him playing one-on-one with a young Celtics fan.
The young fan exclaimed, “Oh my God,” as he watched Pritchard’s shot hit the net after bouncing off the rim and backboard four times.
Pritchard was selected by the Celtics with the 26th pick out of Oregon in 2020 and became an effective role player for the team.
After averaging 9.6 points in 22.3 minutes per game last season, Pritchard was a dynamite off the bench for the Celtics in the playoffs. During his postseason career, Pritchard scored 122 total points, shooting 41.9 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from three-point range.
The Celtics beat Miami and Cleveland in consecutive sweeps before sweeping the Pacers in the Conference Finals. They defeated the Dallas Mavericks in five games to secure the franchise’s 18th banner.
So far this season, Pritchard is averaging 12.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2 assists as the Celtics look to repeat in June.
Boston is 3-0 to start the season with wins over the Knicks, Wizards and Pistons. They look to remain undefeated when they face the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, October 28.