1) Born in Gretna, which is located across the Mississippi River from downtown New Orleans, Payton went to John Ehret High School in Marrero. From there, he remained in-state for college, developing into a standout point guard at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette, located about 130 miles west of the Crescent City.
2) Following his star turn with the Ragin’ Cajuns, Payton rose all the way in scouting evaluations to becoming the 10th player selected in the 2014 NBA Draft. Among the 60 players taken in that draft class, he ranks fourth in career scoring, with 3,352 points, behind only Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Clarkson and Nikola Jokic.