Cameron Payne facts for kids
.jpg)
Payne with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017
|
|
| No. 1 – New York Knicks | |
|---|---|
| Point guard / shooting guard | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | August 8, 1994 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| High school | Lausanne Collegiate (Memphis, Tennessee) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 183 lb (83 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Murray State (2013–2015) |
| NBA Draft | 2015 / Round: 1 / Pick: 14th overall |
| Selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder | |
| Pro career | 2015–present |
| League | NBA |
| Career history | |
| 2015–2017 | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 2015–2017 | →Oklahoma City Blue |
| 2017–2019 | Chicago Bulls |
| 2017–2018 | →Windy City Bulls |
| 2019 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2019–2020 | Shanxi Loongs |
| 2020 | Texas Legends |
| 2020–2023 | Phoenix Suns |
| 2023–2024 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 2024 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2024–present | New York Knicks |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
Cameron Payne (born August 8, 1994) is an American professional basketball player. He plays for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Murray State. The Oklahoma City Thunder picked him 14th in the 2015 NBA draft.
After two seasons with the Thunder, he joined the Chicago Bulls in 2017. He later played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and then overseas for the Shanxi Loongs in China. Payne returned to the NBA in 2020 with the Phoenix Suns. There, he became a key player and helped the team reach the 2021 NBA Finals. Since then, he has played for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Contents
Cameron Payne's Early Basketball Days
High School Success
Cameron Payne went to Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis, Tennessee. He grew a lot during high school, from 5 feet 5 inches to 6 feet tall. Even though he led his team to win a state title in 2013, not many college teams noticed him at first.
He was seen as a three-star recruit, which means he was a good player but not one of the very best. However, William Small recruited him to play for Murray State. This was a big step for Payne, as he went from being less known to a possible NBA draft pick.
College Achievements
As a freshman at Murray State, Payne played really well. He averaged 16.8 points, 5.4 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game. He had to start as a point guard because of an injury to another player. In his first college game, he scored 21 points.
He earned first-team All-OVC honors and was named the conference's Freshman of the Year. In his second year, he became the Ohio Valley Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year. He averaged 20.2 points, 6.0 assists, and 3.7 rebounds. After this great season, Payne decided to enter the NBA Draft.
Cameron Payne's NBA Journey
Starting with the Oklahoma City Thunder (2015–2017)
Before the NBA draft, Cameron Payne broke a finger on his non-shooting hand. Luckily, he did not need surgery. On June 25, 2015, the Oklahoma City Thunder picked him 14th overall in the draft. He signed his first NBA contract on July 10, 2015.
He played his first NBA game on November 1, helping the Thunder win against the Denver Nuggets. Sometimes, he also played for the Oklahoma City Blue, which is the Thunder's minor league team. On December 29, he scored 16 points in a win over the Milwaukee Bucks. In April 2016, he had a career-high 17 points and seven assists.
In July 2016, Payne had surgery on his right foot. He recovered quickly but then hurt the same foot again in September. This made him miss the start of the 2016–17 season. He returned to play in January 2017 and scored a season-high 15 points in February.
Moving to the Chicago Bulls (2017–2019)
On February 23, 2017, Payne was traded to the Chicago Bulls. He moved with Joffrey Lauvergne and Anthony Morrow. In return, the Thunder received Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott, and a draft pick. During this time, Payne also played for the Windy City Bulls, Chicago's minor league team.
In September 2017, Payne had another foot surgery and was out for several months. He returned to the Bulls in February 2018. On March 17, 2018, he achieved his first professional double-double. He scored 13 points and had a career-high 10 assists. A few days later, he scored a career-high 17 points.
On October 24, 2018, Payne scored a new career-high of 21 points against the Charlotte Hornets. He made seven three-pointers in that game. The Bulls later decided to release him in January 2019.
Short Stays and Overseas Play (2019–2020)
After leaving the Bulls, Payne signed two 10-day contracts with the Cleveland Cavaliers in January 2019. After these contracts ended, he left the team.
In July 2019, he signed with the Toronto Raptors but was released before the regular season began. In November 2019, Payne joined the Shanxi Loongs in China. He played two games there, averaging 22.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 7.5 assists. He was replaced by another player in January 2020.
Later, in January 2020, the Texas Legends of the NBA G-League (the NBA's minor league) acquired Payne. He had a great week in March 2020, earning the NBA G-League Player of the Week award. He averaged 23.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 10.3 assists, leading his team to three wins.
Finding Success with the Phoenix Suns (2020–2023)
On June 30, 2020, Cameron Payne signed a two-year deal with the Phoenix Suns. He made his debut on July 31 in the special "NBA Bubble" during the COVID-19 pandemic. He scored nine points and helped the Suns win against the Washington Wizards. On August 7, 2020, he scored a season-high 15 points. The Suns won all eight games in the bubble, and Payne played a big part coming off the bench.
He continued his strong play in his second season with the Suns. On January 6, 2021, he tied his career-high with 10 assists in just 16 minutes. On February 20, he scored a season-high 19 points. In March, he got his second career double-double with 17 points and 10 assists.
On June 22, 2021, Payne had an amazing game in the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Clippers. He scored a career-high 29 points and had nine assists. He helped the Suns reach the 2021 NBA Finals, but they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks.
On March 4, 2022, Payne set a new career-high with 16 assists, along with 17 points, in a win over the New York Knicks. On November 16, 2022, he matched his career-high of 29 points against the Golden State Warriors. In the 2023 NBA Playoffs, he broke his career-high again, scoring 31 points in a game against the Denver Nuggets. The Suns were eliminated from the playoffs after that game.
Recent Teams (2023–Present)
On July 17, 2023, the Suns traded Payne to the San Antonio Spurs. He was later released by the Spurs. On October 2, he signed a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.
On February 8, 2024, Payne was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. He made his debut for the 76ers the next day, scoring 20 points and getting six assists. On July 15, 2024, Payne signed with his current team, the New York Knicks.
Cameron Payne's Career Statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA Regular Season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | Oklahoma City | 57 | 1 | 12.2 | .410 | .324 | .792 | 1.5 | 1.9 | .6 | .1 | 5.0 |
| 2016–17 | Oklahoma City | 20 | 0 | 16.0 | .331 | .308 | 1.000 | 1.6 | 2.0 | .5 | .3 | 5.3 |
| Chicago | 11 | 0 | 12.9 | .333 | .324 | .250 | 1.5 | 1.4 | .4 | .0 | 4.9 | |
| 2017–18 | Chicago | 25 | 14 | 23.3 | .405 | .385 | .750 | 2.8 | 4.5 | 1.0 | .4 | 8.8 |
| 2018–19 | Chicago | 31 | 12 | 17.3 | .411 | .271 | .880 | 1.7 | 2.7 | .6 | .2 | 5.7 |
| Cleveland | 9 | 1 | 19.6 | .491 | .360 | .688 | 2.1 | 2.6 | .9 | .3 | 8.2 | |
| 2019–20 | Phoenix | 8 | 0 | 22.9 | .485 | .517 | .857 | 3.9 | 3.0 | 1.0 | .3 | 10.9 |
| 2020–21 | Phoenix | 60 | 1 | 18.0 | .484 | .440 | .893 | 2.4 | 3.6 | .6 | .3 | 8.4 |
| 2021–22 | Phoenix | 58 | 12 | 22.0 | .409 | .336 | .843 | 3.0 | 4.9 | .7 | .3 | 10.8 |
| 2022–23 | Phoenix | 48 | 15 | 20.2 | .415 | .368 | .766 | 2.2 | 4.5 | .7 | .2 | 10.3 |
| 2023–24 | Milwaukee | 47 | 2 | 14.9 | .455 | .397 | .841 | 1.3 | 2.3 | .5 | .1 | 6.2 |
| Philadelphia | 31 | 8 | 19.4 | .413 | .382 | .913 | 1.8 | 3.1 | .6 | .3 | 9.3 | |
| Career | 405 | 66 | 17.9 | .422 | .369 | .825 | 2.1 | 3.3 | .6 | .2 | 7.9 | |
NBA Play-in
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Philadelphia | 1 | 0 | 3.5 | 1.000 | 1.000 | — | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 3.0 |
| Career | 1 | 0 | 3.5 | 1.000 | 1.000 | — | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 3.0 | |
NBA Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Oklahoma City | 10 | 0 | 6.4 | .269 | .200 | .500 | .4 | .8 | .2 | .2 | 1.8 |
| 2017 | Chicago | 1 | 0 | 4.2 | .500 | 1.000 | — | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 3.0 |
| 2021 | Phoenix | 22 | 2 | 19.0 | .425 | .362 | .889 | 2.5 | 3.2 | .8 | .5 | 9.3 |
| 2022 | Phoenix | 13 | 0 | 13.2 | .297 | .167 | .833 | 1.5 | 2.1 | .5 | .1 | 4.2 |
| 2023 | Phoenix | 7 | 4 | 21.8 | .479 | .407 | .000 | 2.0 | 2.9 | .4 | .3 | 8.1 |
| 2024 | Philadelphia | 5 | 0 | 12.2 | .400 | .444 | — | 1.2 | 1.4 | .2 | .8 | 5.6 |
| Career | 58 | 6 | 15.0 | .394 | .335 | .742 | 1.7 | 2.3 | .5 | .3 | 6.3 | |
College Statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | Murray State | 34 | 34 | 32.7 | .404 | .341 | .774 | 3.6 | 5.4 | 1.7 | .6 | 16.8 |
| 2014–15 | Murray State | 35 | 35 | 32.2 | .456 | .377 | .787 | 3.7 | 6.0 | 1.9 | .5 | 20.2 |
| Career | 69 | 69 | 32.4 | .432 | .359 | .781 | 3.7 | 5.7 | 1.8 | .5 | 18.5 | |
Cameron Payne's Personal Life
Cameron Payne's parents, Tony and Leshawn Payne, have been very supportive. His father, Tony, used to be a youth basketball coach. Both his parents helped him a lot when he was trying to get back into the NBA after playing in China and the NBA G League.
Images for kids
-
A friendly robot
