Elfrid Payton

At 30 years old, Elfrid Payton has this physical status:

College career

Payton was an unheralded student from John Ehret High School in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. Payton opted to attend Louisiana–Lafayette as a freshman in 2011–12, and he went back to school in 2012–13 as a sophomore. He played 15.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.4 steals per game, winning the All-Sun Belt Conference for the first time.

Payton, a sophomore indie, made his late introduction to Team USA's U19 World Championships Trials Roster in the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championships. Payton made the team's debut in all nine games for Team USA, including Marcus Smart, Aaron Gordon, Jahlil Okafor, and Jarnell Stokes. The team eventually defeated the Serbian team led by Vasilije Mici and won the gold medal, going 9–0 in the tournament.

Payton made a name for himself as a junior in 2013-14 as one of the best defensive players in college basketball. He boosted his averages to 19.2 points, 5.9 assists, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.3 steals per game, as well as leading the Ragin' Cajuns to the 2014 NCAA Tournament. He was named first team All-Sun Belt twice and was the conference Defensive Player of the Year. He was named the National Defensive Player of the Year at the end of the year by winning the Lefty Driesell Award at the end of the season.

Payton opted for the NBA draft in April 2014, forgoing his final year of college eligibility.

Professional career

Payton was selected with the tenth overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers on June 26, 2014. On draft night, Dario ari, a future first-round pick and a potential second-round pick, was traded to the Orlando Magic. He signed his first scale deal with the Magic on July 2. In a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on October 29, 2014, he made his NBA debut. In a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on January 16, 2015, Payton had a season-best game with 22 points and 12 assists. He was then named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for January and also named a Rising Stars Challenge participant. In a loss to the Dallas Mavericks on March 18, he posted his first triple-double in his career with 15 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds. He became the first NBA rookie to do it since Antoine Walker with the Boston Celtics in 1997, making him the first Magic player to record two straight triple-doubles and the first NBA rookie to do it since Antoine Walker. The Magic won by 111–104 over the Portland Trail Blazers, with Payton's 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.

In a 104-101 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 18, 2015, Payton scored a then-high 24 points in a then 103-101 win. Payton played in 116 straight games to begin his career before a left ankle injury forced him to miss four games in early January 2016. He returned to action in London on January 14 against the Toronto Raptors for the first time in 2015–16, with four points and four rebounds in a 106-103 overtime loss. In a 118-102 loss to the Detroit Pistons on March 23, 2016, he recorded his third triple-double, with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.

In the first half of the Magic's 124-116 victory over the Washington Wizards, Payton scored 22 of his career-high 25 points. In a 131-120 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on December 13, he tied for the first time on record with 26 points and 14 assists. In a 114-107 loss to the Utah Jazz on January 14, 2017, he had a career-high 28 points and nine assists while adding nine rebounds and nine assists. In a 113–105 loss to the New York Knicks on March 6, 2017, he had his first triple-double of the season with 16 points, ten assists, and 11 rebounds. In a 98-91 victory over the Chicago Bulls, he had his second straight triple-double with 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 14 assists. Payton had 13 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds for his third triple-double of the season on March 13, 2017. In a 115-87 victory over the Detroit Pistons, he continued his outstanding play with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. It was his fourth triple-double in ten games and the seventh in his career. In a 117–116 loss to the Boston Celtics, he had a career-high 15 assists to go with 12 points and nine rebounds. In the Magic's 121–111 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on April 1, he had 20 points, 11 assists, and 11 rebounds for his fifth triple-double of the season.

Because of a left hamstring injury, Payton missed eight games early this season. With a 112–99 victory over the New York Knicks, an important piece in the Magic's offense, he had 11 points and 11 assists in 29 minutes on his return in 29 minutes on November 8, bringing an end to the team's two-game losing streak. In a 124-118 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 22, he had a season-high 13 assists. In a 130–103 loss to the Washington Wizards on December 23, 2017, he scored a career-high 30 points.

Payton was traded to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for a 2018 second-round pick. In a 123-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets, he made his Suns debut two days later, scoring 19 points, nine assists, and six rebounds in 35 minutes. Payton scored a game-high 29 points in his second game for the Suns on February 12, defeating the Golden State Warriors 129-83. In a 107-97 loss to the Utah Jazz, he had a triple-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists. In a 113–112 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on March 4, 2018, he had 11 points, 10 rebounds, and a season-high 14 assists. It was his second triple-double in nine games with the Suns, and his nine games with the team were the fewest by a Suns player ever.

Payton signed with the New Orleans Pelicans on July 9, 2018. Payton scored ten points, 10 rebounds, and ten assists in a 131–112 victory over the Houston Rockets in his first appearance for the Pelicans in their season opener on October 17, 2018. Payton's minimalist triple-double made him the first player to record exactly 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a single game since March 2, 2013, when Kyle Lowry for Toronto made it. It was Payton's 11th triple-double in his career. Payton returned to action against the New York Knicks on November 16, but only to fracture a finger in his left hand after eight minutes on the court. He was then banned from attending for about six weeks. After a 22-game absence, he returned to action against the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 31. In his second game back on January 2, he scored 25 points in a 126-121 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. In a 128–116 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on March 10, he had 15 points, ten rebounds, and 10 assists. In a 130-113 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on March 12, he had his second straight triple-double, with 14 points, a career-high 15 rebounds, and 11 assists, becoming the first New Orleans player to have a triple-double in consecutive games since Chris Paul in 2008. In a 122-110 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on March 15, he had his third straight triple-double with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and a career-high 16 assists. In a 138-136 overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns, he earned his fourth straight triple-double with 16 points, 16 assists, and 13 rebounds, joining James Harden, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and Russell Westbrook as the only players since the 1983–84 season to record triple-doubles in as many as four straight games and eighth in NBA history. In a 129-125 overtime victory over the Dallas Mavericks, Payton recorded his fifth straight triple-double in two days, with 19 points, 11 assists, and ten rebounds. With six, he tied Chris Paul for most triple-doubles in a season in franchise history, and became only the fifth player to reach five straight triple-doubles, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, and Russell Westbrook.

Payton agreed to a two-year contract with the New York Knicks on July 9, 2019. Early in the season, he had trouble with injuries, missing 17 games in a row. He playedmaking skills on his return to the team, and was promoted to the starting lineup. Payton was suspended for one game after arguing Jae Crowder in a January 29 game against the Memphis Grizzlies on January 31, 2020. In a 139–134 overtime win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 3, Payton scored his 17th triple-double of his career with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 15 assists. In a 105-103 victory over the Orlando Magic, he scored 15 points, nine assists, and a career-high seven steals. The Knicks waived Payton on November 19, 2020, the Knicks' pledged it on November 19, 2020. Payton was re-signed by the Knicks to a reported one-year deal on November 29, which was disappointing.

Payton, 20, 2121, has signed with the Phoenix Suns on August 10, 2021.

National team career

Payton was a surprise pick for the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship in the summer of 2013. In nine games, he averaged 6.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.

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