The young and energetic point guard of the New Orleans Pelicans, Elfrid Payton, entered the NBA in 2014 after the Philadelphia 76ers selected him as their tenth overall pick. On the draft night, he was immediately transferred to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Dario Saric and other future draft picks.
After spending about three and a half years with the Orlando Magic, he was again switched to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for a selection in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft. But then his stay in the team was very short when he signed a new contract with the New Orleans Pelicans in July 2018.
Elfrid Payton was awarded the Lefty Driesell Award as National College Defensive Player of the Year 2014. He received the coveted award during his career as a colleague at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. Learn more about the player when you read on.
Elfrid Payton Biography (Age)
Payton was born on February 22, 1994, in Gretna, Louisiana, the son of Elfrid and Danielle Payton. He attended John Ehret High School, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, where he played basketball with the school team. After high school, Payton went to the University of Louisiana for his college career.
He had an impressive freshman season. In the second year he averaged 15.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 5.5 assists per game to win the first All-Sun Belt Conference. In his junior season (2013/2014) Payton averaged 19.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.3 steals, and 5.9 assists per game and was named one of the best defenders in college basketball. His average scores helped the team qualify for the 2014 NCAA tournament.
Elfrid won other awards this year, including the Conference Defensive Player of the Year Award, the title of First Team All-Sun Belt, and the Lefty Triesell National College Defensive Player of the Year Award. After his junior season, Elfrid Payton gave up his senior season for the NBA Draft.
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Elfrid Payton NBA Career
The Philadelphia 76ers would choose Payton as their 10th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, but would immediately switch him to the Orlando Magic on the night of the draft. He signed his contract with the team and made his first appearance in the NBA in October in a game against the New Orleans Pelicans that ended in defeat. Payton would later score a season-best of twenty-two points and twelve assists in a game against the Memphis Grizzlys in January 2015.
He scored his first triple-double in his career the following month in a game against the Dallas Mavericks, his second consecutive triple-double came two days later, making him the first player in the history of Magic to score consecutive triple-doubles and the first NBA rookie after Antoine Walker to reach this level.
At the end of his rookie season, he was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month (January) and was also named a participant in the Rising Stars Challenge. The following season Elfrid played 116 games before an ankle injury kept him away for a while.
In the 2017/18 season, Payton missed 8 games due to an injury to his left hamstring, and after spending three and a half seasons with the Orlando Magic, he was transferred to the Phoenix Suns in February 2018 in exchange for a second-round spot in the 2018 NBA Draft. Two days later, Payton played a game against the Denver Nuggets for the Suns, scoring nineteen points and 6 rebounds in just 35 minutes of play.
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His second game for the Suns was against the Golden State Warriors, in which Elfrid Payton scored a high of twenty-nine points. Two days later he scored a triple-double with thirteen points, eleven rebounds, and twelve assists in a game against Utah Jazz. In July 2018 Payton signed a new contract with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Payton was part of the US U19 basketball team that represented the nation at the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship in the Czech Republic. The team won the championship after defeating the Serbian team.
His Family
Elfrid is the only son of Elfrid Payton Sr., a former soccer player who played for several Canadian Football League (CFL) teams and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
Payton may be his parents’ only son, but he is definitely not an only child. He has five sisters – Brianna, Ashley, Courtney, Shamyra, and Erin.
Height, Weight, And Body Stats
The point guard of the New Orleans Pelicans stands at a height of 1.91 m, which is 6’3″ and weighs 77 kg (170 Ib). His height, weight, and body structure contribute to his performance on the course. We still need to check more details of his body statistics.
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