Payton Pritchard Stuns NBA: Celtics’ Unsung Hero Snags Sixth Man of the Year—Locker Room Secrets, Clutch Performances, and the Shocking Story Behind His Meteoric Rise!

Backup Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard has been voted the NBA’s 2025 Kia Sixth Man of the Year. The University of Oregon native won the vote handily over the next closest nominee with 454 total points, Detroit Pistons shooting guard Malik Beasley (who had 279 total points).

The voting weighted first place votes as having five points each (of which Prichard had 82 to Beasley’s 13), three points for second place votes, and one point for third-place votes. Other nominees noted by the league include guard Ty Jerome of the Cleveland Cavaliers (91 total points), DeAndre Hunter, also of the Cavs (33 total points), big man Naz Reid of the Minnesota Timberwolves (31 total points), guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, also of Minnesota (seven points), guard Russell Westbrook of the Denver Nuggets (four total points), and guard Alex Caruso of the Oklahoma City Thunder (one total point).

In the 2024-25 NBA regular season, Pritchard logged 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game off the bench in 77 of 80 games played while shooting 47.2% from the field overall, 40.7% from 3, and 84.5% from the line.

Pritchard is the first Celtics player to win the honor since fellow guard and former teammate Malcolm Brogdon did in 2023.

The Oregon native joins big men Kevin McHale (1984, and again in 1985) and Bill Walton (1986) as the only other Celtics to win the award.