Years before they would eventually become Celtics teammates, Payton Pritchard and Blake Griffin met after a Clippers game.
Pritchard was 16 and deciding on which college to attend. He was being recruited by Griffin’s alma mater, Oklahoma.
Lon Kruger, who was coaching the Sooners at the time, arranged for the four-star recruit to meet the multi-time All-Star when the Clippers played the Trail Blazers in Portland, according to ESPN. Pritchard grew up in nearby West Linn, Oregon.
“He was super shy,” Griffin told ESPN of his initial impression of Pritchard. “We talked for a little bit, but I mean, dude, when I say he was scrawny, I was like, man, this kid must be nasty on the court.