Former Oregon guard Payton Pritchard returns home to host camps as an NBA champion

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Payton Pritchard, NBA Champion.

It’s a title no one can take away, and the West Linn product achieved it just a month ago.

“It’s something I’ve dreamed about since being a kid. To be a part of a championship team and to help them win like that, it’s definitely something I’ll remember forever. Hopefully, we can get another one,” said Pritchard.

The point guard was drafted by the Celtics in 2020, and there were definitely times along the way when he thought about leaving for more playing time.

But Pritchard is obviously glad he stuck it out.

“I feel like it’s been a long journey with them and through a lot of challenging times, but it’s always sweeter in the end when you get it done like that. I feel very special to still be a part of the organization, and I like it here,” said Pritchard

Only a few weeks after winning a championship, Pritchard went to Vegas and participated on the US Select Team, the squad that scrimmaged the US National Team playing in the Olympics.

“It was amazing, just to get to go against the best players in the world, see where my game’s at, take things away from just watching them,” said Pritchard. “It was definitely a really cool experience.”

Wedged into all of that, Pritchard has already hosted a kids camp in both Boston and Bend, with another two coming up in West Linn and Camas on July 30 and 31, respectively.

“I switched to doing more of a one-day camp in different places to reach as many kids as possible,” said Pritchard.

Each camp will feature two-and-a-half hour sessions for different age ranges and in between sessions Pritchard will be doing something a little different than what a traditional camp does.

“I’m going to take them through exactly how I would do a work out and give them pointers and just show them my routine. In between camps, I’m also going to workout so they can see it with their own eyes how I go about it,” said Pritchard.

If you’d like to attend one of Payton’s camps, you can find more information in his links section on his Instagram.