Payne attended Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis, Tennessee. He grew from 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) as a freshman to 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) as a senior. Despite leading Lausanne Collegiate to a 2013 Division II state title in Tennessee, Payne was not a heavily scouted player by collegiate programs. He was considered to be a three-star recruit by Rivals.com and was not ranked in the top 100 prospects. He was recruited by William Small to play college basketball at Murray State, choosing the Racers over a few other schools. Payne then went from a relatively unknown college recruit to a potential NBA lottery pick.
College career
As a freshman, Payne averaged 16.8 points, 5.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.[1][2] He was forced to start at point guard as a freshman due to an injury to Zay Jackson, and began his collegiate career registering 21 points, five boards and four assists in the team's opener at Valparaiso.[2] Payne earned first-team All-OVC honors and was named freshman of the year by the conference.[3] As a sophomore, he was the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year after he averaged 20.2 points, 6.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game.[4] Payne opted to declare for the NBA Draft after his sophomore season.[3]
Professional career
Oklahoma City Thunder (2015–2017)
During workouts prior to the NBA draft, Payne broke the ring finger on his non-shooting hand. The injury did not require surgery.[3] On June 25, 2015, Payne was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 14th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft.[5] On July 10, 2015, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Thunder.[6] He made his debut for the Thunder on November 1 in a 117–93 win over the Denver Nuggets, recording three assists in four minutes.[7] On December 5, he was assigned to the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder's D-League affiliate.[8] He was recalled on December 6,[9] reassigned on December 15,[10] and recalled again on December 16.[11] On December 29, he had a 16-point effort in a 131–123 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. In the Thunder's regular season finale on April 12, 2016, Payne recorded career highs of 17 points and seven assists in a 102–98 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.[12]
On July 25, 2016, Payne underwent a successful procedure to repair a fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot.[13] He recovered quickly and was cleared to practice when training camp opened. He went through full contact during the Thunder's first two days of practice,[14] but on September 27, he suffered an acute fracture to his fifth metatarsal in the team's Blue-White Scrimmage.[15] As a result, he missed the first two months of the 2016–17 season. After spending six days with the Oklahoma City Blue in early January,[16][17] Payne joined the Thunder playing group for the first time in 2016–17 on January 7.[18] He subsequently made his season debut that night, scoring eight points in 13 minutes against the Denver Nuggets.[19] On February 9, 2017, he scored a season-high 15 points in a 118–109 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.[20]
On September 8, 2017, Payne was ruled out for three to four months after undergoing surgery on his right foot two days prior.[23] He made his season debut for the Bulls on February 22, 2018, in a 116–115 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.[24] On March 17, 2018, Payne recorded his first professional double-double in his NBA career, putting up 13 points and a career-high 10 assists in a 114–109 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.[25] On March 23, 2018, he had a career-high 17 points and six assists in a 118–105 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.[26]
On October 24, 2018, Payne scored all of his career-high 21 points in the second half of the Bulls' 112–110 win over the Charlotte Hornets, going 7 for 11 on 3-pointers.[27] On January 3, 2019, he was waived by the Bulls.[28]
Cleveland Cavaliers (2019)
On January 6, 2019, Payne signed a 10-day contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers.[29] On January 16, he signed a second 10-day contract with the Cavaliers.[30] He parted ways with the Cavaliers following the expiration of his second 10-day contract.[31]
Shanxi Loongs (2019–2020)
On July 25, 2019, Payne signed a contract with the Toronto Raptors.[32] On October 8, 2019, Payne played for 12 minutes against the Houston Rockets in a preseason game and tallied four points, one assist, and one rebound. On October 19, 2019, the Raptors released Payne.[33]
On November 12, 2019, Payne was reported to join the Shanxi Loongs.[34] He played in two games for the team, averaging 22.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 4.5 steals per contest. On January 2, 2020, Payne was replaced.[35]
Texas Legends (2020)
On January 25, 2020, the Texas Legends announced that they had acquired Payne.[36]
During the week of March 3, 2020, Payne was named the NBA G-League Player of the Week, averaging 23.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 10.3 assists, 2.7 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game while leading the Legends to a perfect 3–0 record for the week.[37]
Phoenix Suns (2020–2023)
On June 30, 2020, Payne agreed to a two-season deal with the Phoenix Suns.[38] He made his debut on July 31 in the 2020 NBA Bubble, where he recorded nine points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals on a plus-minus of +21 in a 125–112 win over the Washington Wizards.[39] On August 7, 2020, Payne recorded a season-high 15 points in a 114–99 win over the Indiana Pacers.[40] He later repeated his season-high in a blowout 128–102 win over the Dallas Mavericks, helping the team be undefeated in all eight games the Suns played in the bubble while coming off the bench and having his highest scoring and rebounding season averages in the NBA yet.[41]
After his successful time in the bubble, Payne had his second season option picked up on November 18, 2020.[42] In his second season with Phoenix, Payne continued the successful production he had in the 2020 bubble off the bench. On January 6, 2021, he tied his then career-high of 10 assists in only 16 minutes of play in a 123–115 win over the Toronto Raptors.[43] On February 20, he scored a season-high 19 points and put up seven assists in a blowout 128–97 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.[44] On March 4, Payne recorded his second career double-double in the NBA, leading the Suns that night with 17 points and 10 assists coming off the bench in a 120–98 blowout win over the Golden State Warriors.[45]
On June 22, 2021, Payne recorded a career high in the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Clippers, recording 29 points, along with nine assists, two steals, and two blocks in the Suns' 104–103 win.[46] Payne helped the Suns reach the 2021 NBA Finals, but the Suns lost the series in 6 games to the Milwaukee Bucks.[47]
On March 4, 2022, Payne recorded a career-high 16 assists to go with 17 points in a 115–114 win over the New York Knicks.[48]
On November 16, 2022, Payne matched his career-high of 29 points in a 130–119 win over the defending champion Golden State Warriors.
During the Semi-Finals round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, in a Game 6 against the Denver Nuggets, Payne broke his career high in points scored, scoring 31 points in a 125–100 loss. Payne led the Suns in scoring that night, with his next highest scoring teammate being Kevin Durant with 23. The Suns would be eliminated after this game losing the series 4–2.
Milwaukee Bucks (2023–2024)
On July 17, 2023, the Suns traded Payne, a 2025 second-round pick, and cash considerations to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for a protected second-round pick in 2024[49] and on September 11, he was waived.[50] On October 2, he signed a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.[51]
Philadelphia 76ers (2024)
On February 8, 2024, Payne was traded, alongside a 2027 second-round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Patrick Beverley.[52] On February 9, Payne made his 76ers debut, putting up 20 points and six assists in a 127–121 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.[53]
His father, Tony Payne, was once a youth basketball coach. He and his mother, Leshawn Payne, were also instrumental in helping Payne out with returning to the NBA after briefly being out of the league for China and the NBA G League.[55]
On June 14, 2024, Payne was arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona, for not telling officers his real name as well as providing a false report to law enforcement, reportedly referring to himself as "Terry Johnson" according to police.[56] Payne was taken to Scottsdale City Jail and was later released.[57]
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