Many have climbed aboard the bandwagon of Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard this season.
But not former NBA star Gilbert Arenas.
Arenas made insensitive comments about Pritchard and Celtics forward Drew Peterson during Boston’s win over the Miami Heat on Monday night. Arenas couldn’t believe Joe Mazzulla played Pritchard and Peterson together, alluding to the pair’s skin color as the reason they shouldn’t be on the floor at the same time.
Pritchard fired back on social media before giving a more in-depth response about Arenas’ remarks to The Athletic’s Jay King on Wednesday night.
“Well, first of all, I really liked Gilbert as a player and I respected his game. I was a fan growing up,” Pritchard told King. “So when you see somebody that you’re a fan of growing up and then they make comments like that. It’s definitely disappointing talking about something people can’t change, the color of their skin. So the work that Drew puts in, that I put in, I don’t know, you just don’t want to see that.”
Arenas played 11 seasons in the NBA from 2001-2012 and was named an All-Star three times. He was infamously suspended in 2010 for bringing four guns into the Washington Wizards locker room now.
Arenas now hosts the popular “Gil’s Arena” podcast and is known for making outlandish comments. He clearly wasn’t well-educated on Pritchard’s game as the fifth-year guard is having a breakout season to make him the favorite for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year race.
Pritchard is averaging a career-high 16.5 points and shooting 42.8% from beyond the arc on 8.8 attempts per game. He’s also averaging 3.0 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals.
It feels like Pritchard is using every slight against him to his advantage this season. And Arenas certainly added to the pile.
“When you’re a fan of somebody growing up, and for them to make comments like that, it can be disappointing,” Pritchard told King.
