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Payton Pritchard has been a huge part of the Boston Celtics' success thus far in the 2024-25 season. He's averaging 16.5 points per game while coming off the bench for most of his games, emerging as one of the favorites to win the coveted Sixth Man of the Year award.
However, Pritchard hasn't yet commanded the respect of some of his peers, most recently drawing a disrespectful take from polarizing former NBA All-Star guard Gilbert Arenas.
Arenas, in response to seeing both Pritchard and Drew Peterson on the court at the same time for the Celtics, questioned their presence on the hardwood. The retired guard implied that they're cones on defense and that them being on the court meant that they were charity cases — obviously alluding to the unfair stereotypes placed upon white basketball players.
Pritchard has already expressed his confusion over Arenas' statements, pushing back by asking why they couldn't be on the floor at the same time. And the Celtics guard further expressed his disappointment that someone whom he looked up to growing up could say something like this.
“Well, first of all, I really liked Gilbert as a player, and I respected his game. I was a fan growing up. So when you see somebody that you’re a fan of growing up and then they make comments like that, it’s definitely disappointing talking about something people can’t change, the color of their skin.
“So the work that Drew puts in, that I put in, I don’t know, you just don’t want to see that,” Pritchard told Jay King of The Athletic, via Greg Dudek of NESN.
Celtics guard Payton Pritchard pushes back against Gilbert Arenas' implied racist remarks
At this point, it's best to not take anything Gilbert Arenas says seriously. The man known as “Hibachi” has a penchant for making insensitive remarks.
He thrashed the South Sudan national basketball team, discrediting all their hard work after Team USA's close exhibition win back in July, and then he has always had it out for Nikola Jokic — even calling him the worst MVP in the history of the league.
Arenas has made plenty of remarks with racist undertones in the past, and unfortunately, Celtics guard Payton Pritchard fell straight on to his crosshair. This is the perfect example of why no one should ever have to meet their idol in the flesh.
“When you’re a fan of somebody growing up, and for them to make comments like that, it can be disappointing,” Pritchard added.
