Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard has officially been named the winner of the 2024-25 Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award.
The news was revealed on Tuesday night during the NBA on TNT program.
Pritchard beat out fellow finalists Ty Jerome (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Malik Beasley (Detroit Pistons) for the award. Naz Reid of the Minnesota Timberwolves won the award last season.
Pritchard is the second Celtics guard in the last three years to win the Sixth Man of the Year award. Washington Wizards guard Malcolm Brogdon won the award for the 2022-23 season, Brogdon’s lone season with the Celtics.
Pritchard is the fourth Celtics player ever to win the Sixth Man Award, which dates back to the 1982-83 season. The other two Celtics Sixth Man Award winners were Kevin McHale and the late, great Bill Walton. McHale won the award in back-to-back seasons (1983-84, 1984-85), and Walton followed by winning it in 1985-86.
Pritchard had a career year this season, averaging 18.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per 36 minutes for the defending champion Celtics. The 27-year-old guard out of Oregon shot 40.7 percent from three and 84.5 percent from the free throw line.
Pritchard was drafted by Boston with the No. 20 overall selection in the 2020 NBA Draft. He signed a four-year, $30 million extension with the Celtics in October 2023, a deal that has Pritchard tied to the Celtics through the 2027-28 season (per Spotrac) … a massive bargain for Boston and general manager Brad Stevens.
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