Elfrid Payton (basketball)

1.1. Early Life and Education

Elfrid Payton Jr. was born on February 22, 1994, in Gretna, Louisiana. Standing 75 in ^{(191 cm)} tall and weighing 194 lb ^{(88 kg)}, he attended John Ehret High School in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. During his high school career, he was considered an unheralded recruit, but his potential was recognized as he pursued collegiate basketball.

1.2. College Career

Payton committed to play college basketball at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where he quickly made an impact. After a promising freshman season in 2011-12, he had a breakout sophomore season in 2012-13. During this period, he averaged 15.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.4 steals per game, earning him a selection to the First Team All-Sun Belt Conference.

Following his impressive sophomore year, Payton was a late addition to the Team USA's U19 World Championships Trials Roster for the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship. He successfully made the team and started in all nine games, playing alongside talented individuals such as Marcus Smart, Aaron Gordon, Jahlil Okafor, and Jarnell Stokes. The team achieved a perfect 9-0 record, ultimately winning the gold medal by defeating the Serbian team led by Vasilije Micić.

In his junior season in 2013-14, Payton distinguished himself as one of the premier defensive players in college basketball. He further improved his statistical averages to 19.2 points, 5.9 assists, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.3 steals per game. He led the Ragin' Cajuns to the 2014 NCAA Tournament. For his exceptional performance, he was again named to the First Team All-Sun Belt and received the conference's Defensive Player of the Year award. At the conclusion of the season, Payton was recognized as the National Defensive Player of the Year, winning the prestigious Lefty Driesell Award. In April 2014, he declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final year of college eligibility.

2.1. Orlando Magic (2014-2018)

On June 26, 2014, Payton was selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. Immediately following the draft, he was traded to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Dario Šarić, a future first-round pick, and a future second-round pick. He officially signed his rookie scale contract with the Magic on July 2.

In his rookie season (2014-15), Payton made his NBA debut on October 29, 2014, in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, recording 4 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists. On January 16, 2015, he had a season-best game with 22 points and 12 assists in a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. His strong play led to him being named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for January and a participant in the Rising Stars Challenge. On March 18, he recorded his first career triple-double with 15 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Two days later, on March 20, he posted a second consecutive triple-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 111-104 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. This made him the first Magic player to achieve consecutive triple-doubles and the first NBA rookie to do so since Antoine Walker in 1997.

During the 2015-16 season, on November 18, 2015, Payton scored a then career-high 24 points in a 104-101 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. After appearing in 116 consecutive games to start his career, a left ankle injury forced him to miss four games in early January 2016. He returned to action on January 14, coming off the bench for the first time in the season. On March 23, 2016, he recorded his third career triple-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 118-102 loss to the Detroit Pistons.

The 2016-17 season saw Payton continue to evolve. On December 6, 2016, he scored 22 of his career-high 25 points in the first half of the Magic's 124-116 victory over the Washington Wizards. He surpassed this mark on December 13, 2016, achieving career highs of 26 points and 14 assists in a 131-120 win against the Atlanta Hawks. On January 14, 2017, he registered a career-high 28 points along with nine rebounds and nine assists in a 114-107 loss to the Utah Jazz. His triple-double performances became more frequent, with his first of the season coming on March 6, 2017 (16 points, 10 assists, 11 rebounds) in a loss to the New York Knicks. Two days later, he achieved his second straight triple-double with 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 14 assists in a 98-91 win over the Chicago Bulls. On March 13, 2017, he recorded his third triple-double of the season with 13 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds in a 120-115 loss to the Sacramento Kings. On March 24, he continued his impressive run with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 115-87 victory over the Detroit Pistons, marking his fourth triple-double in 10 games and seventh of his career. Seven days later, he recorded a career-high 15 assists along with 12 points and nine rebounds in a 117-116 loss to the Boston Celtics. On April 1, he posted his fifth triple-double of the season with 20 points, 11 assists, and 11 rebounds in a 121-111 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.

In the 2017-18 season, Payton missed eight games early on due to a left hamstring injury. In his return on November 8, he contributed 11 points and 11 assists in 29 minutes, helping the Magic end a two-game losing streak with a 112-99 win over the New York Knicks. On November 22, he recorded a season-high 13 assists in a 124-118 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. On December 23, 2017, he set a new career high with 30 points in a 130-103 loss to the Washington Wizards.

2.2. Phoenix Suns (2018)

On February 8, 2018, Payton was traded to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for a 2018 second-round draft pick. He made his debut for the Suns two days later, recording 19 points, nine assists, and six rebounds in 35 minutes in a 123-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets. In his second game with the Suns on February 12, Payton scored a game-high 29 points in a 129-83 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Two days later, on February 14, he registered a triple-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists in a 107-97 loss to the Utah Jazz. On March 4, 2018, he achieved his second triple-double in just nine games with the Suns, recording 11 points, 10 rebounds, and a season-high 14 assists in a 113-112 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. The nine games needed to achieve two triple-doubles marked the fewest ever by a Suns player.

2.3. New Orleans Pelicans (2018-2019)

On July 9, 2018, Payton signed with his hometown team, the New Orleans Pelicans. In his Pelicans debut on October 17, 2018, he recorded a "minimalist" triple-double with exactly 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 131-112 win over the Houston Rockets. This was his 11th career triple-double and the first such stat line since Kyle Lowry in 2013.

Payton's tenure with the Pelicans was affected by injuries. On October 27, he sprained his right ankle against the Utah Jazz, leading to a nine-game absence. Upon his return on November 16 against the New York Knicks, he fractured a finger in his left hand after only eight minutes on the court, requiring surgery and sidelining him for approximately six weeks. He returned on December 31 against the Minnesota Timberwolves after a 22-game absence but continued to struggle with his right ankle, leading to another nine-game absence starting January 29. In his second game back on January 2, he scored 25 points in a 126-121 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.

Despite the injury setbacks, Payton achieved a remarkable triple-double streak in March 2019. On March 10, he recorded 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 128-116 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. On March 12, he had his second consecutive triple-double with 14 points, a career-high 15 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 130-113 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, becoming the first New Orleans player since Chris Paul in 2008 to record triple-doubles in consecutive games. The streak continued on March 15, with his third consecutive triple-double: 14 points, 12 rebounds, and a career-high 16 assists in a 122-110 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. The next day, March 16, he achieved his fourth straight triple-double with 16 points, 16 assists, and 13 rebounds in a 138-136 overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns. This feat placed him in elite company, joining James Harden, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Russell Westbrook, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, and Elgin Baylor as the only players since the 1983-84 season to record triple-doubles in as many as four consecutive games. Two days later, on March 19, Payton recorded his fifth consecutive triple-double with 19 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds in a 129-125 overtime win over the Dallas Mavericks. By doing so, he became only the fifth player in NBA history, alongside Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, and Russell Westbrook, to achieve five consecutive triple-doubles. He also tied Chris Paul for the most triple-doubles in Pelicans franchise history with six in a single season.

2.4. New York Knicks (2019-2021)

On July 9, 2019, Payton signed a reported two-year deal with the New York Knicks. He faced injury struggles early in his first season with the team, missing 17 consecutive games due to a sore right hamstring. Upon his return, he provided much-needed playmaking for the Knicks and was subsequently promoted to the starting lineup. On January 31, 2020, Payton received a one-game suspension for pushing Jae Crowder in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies on January 29. On February 3, Payton recorded the 17th triple-double of his career with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 15 assists in a 139-134 overtime win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the next game, on February 6, he recorded 15 points, nine assists, and a career-high seven steals in a 105-103 victory over the Orlando Magic. On November 19, 2020, the Knicks waived Payton, but he was re-signed by the team to a reported one-year contract on November 29.

2.5. Return to Phoenix Suns (2021-2022)

On August 10, 2021, Payton signed with the Phoenix Suns for his second stint with the team.

2.6. G League and Other Leagues (2023-Present)

After his second tenure with the Suns, Payton began exploring opportunities in other leagues and the NBA G League. On February 6, 2023, it was reported that Payton would sign with Osos de Manatí of the Puerto Rican league. Two days later, on February 8, 2023, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants (an NBA G League team) announced that they had acquired his player rights. On March 31, 2023, Payton officially signed with Osos de Manatí.

On September 29, 2023, Payton signed with the Indiana Pacers but was waived just a day later. On October 15, he signed with the Cairns Taipans of the NBL in Australia as an 'emergency replacement' player for a single game. He came off the bench against the Toronto Raptors in an NBLxNBA preseason game. On October 28, 2023, Payton officially joined the Indiana Mad Ants. On January 23, 2024, against the Capital City Go-Go, he recorded a triple-double with 14 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists.

On October 11, 2024, Payton signed with the New Orleans Pelicans for a second time but was waived five days later. On October 28, he joined the Birmingham Squadron of the NBA G League. On November 20, he re-signed with the Pelicans again and immediately moved into the starting lineup for their game that night against the Cleveland Cavaliers, recording 11 points, five rebounds, and eight assists in 22 minutes. On November 25, Payton recorded a career-high 21 assists in a 114-110 loss against the Indiana Pacers. He was waived by the Pelicans again on December 3. Four days later, he rejoined the Birmingham Squadron.

On February 7, 2025, Payton signed a 10-day contract with the Charlotte Hornets. He then signed a second 10-day contract with the Charlotte Hornets on February 18.

6.1. NBA Regular Season

6.2. NBA Playoffs

6.3. College