Cameron Payne stayed on the court at SUNEL Arena longer than expected during Anadolu Efes’ morning shootaround ahead of their EuroLeague Round 4 meeting with Olympiacos. With the game only hours away, the American guard was still putting in work, trying to make the most of the limited time available to familiarize himself with a new team, a new coaching staff and a competition he had experienced only briefly.
Efes had announced his arrival on October 3, following Mike James’ season-ending injury, leaving Payne with less than a week to prepare for his first appearance. The circumstances were hardly ideal, although the 32-year-old guard appeared more interested in getting comfortable with his teammates than dwelling on the pressure of replacing one of the EuroLeague’s most accomplished players.
A few hours later, Efes suffered an 89-66 defeat against Olympiacos, but Payne provided one of the visitors’ encouraging individual performances. In his EuroLeague debut for the Turkish club, he scored 12 points in 14 minutes, shooting 3/5 from three-point range and adding three assists, two rebounds and one steal.
The result underlined the work still ahead of Efes, but Payne’s first appearance offered an indication of how quickly he might become a useful offensive contributor.
His return to Europe also comes at an interesting point in a career that has rarely followed a predictable course. Selected in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft, Payne experienced difficult years in Chicago, spent time in China and the G League, and eventually rebuilt his career in Phoenix, where he reached the 2021 NBA Finals. More recently, a short spell with Partizan ended when Philadelphia offered him another opportunity in the NBA.
Now back in the EuroLeague, Payne insists that returning to the NBA is no longer his immediate priority. He speaks warmly about Partizan and the atmosphere in Belgrade, believes European basketball can become an attractive long-term destination for established NBA players, and credits former Suns coach Monty Williams with changing his life.
There is also an unexpected connection to Olympiacos. Although sidelined, Mike James had already sent Payne a detailed scouting message about the Greek champions’ opponents, a gesture that the newcomer clearly appreciated.
In an extensive conversation with SKWEEK, Payne discussed his relationship with James, the lessons of his NBA journey, the differences between European and American basketball, his experience alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, and why Kobe Bryant remains his personal choice over LeBron James.
You joined Anadolu Efes immediately after Mike James suffered a season-ending injury. How much pressure comes with replacing a player of his stature?
“Obviously, it’s a lot. But at the same time, it’s still the beginning of the season. He’s a great EuroLeague player, an amazing EuroLeague player. He’s already been helping me out. He sent me some scouting reports today.
It’s going to be kind of tough, but I think the fact that it’s the beginning of the season makes it a little easier. There’s a lot less pressure than coming right in the middle of the season, because everybody is still learning about each other. It’s cool that I’m here to plug in, but prayers up to him. I hope for a speedy recovery.”
Scouting reports about whom, specifically?
“Olympiacos. He sent me a long message.”
About any particular player?
“Nah, I can’t tell you that! Just the team, the team in total. Shout out to him. He’s still locked in, still helping the team out and helping me out. That’s big-time for a guy of that stature, so I’m very thankful.”
Partizan, Belgrade and an uncertain NBA future
You spent less than two months at Partizan before Philadelphia brought you back to the NBA. What did that experience teach you about European basketball?
“That it’s good basketball. I really like playing over here. It wasn’t a hard adjustment. The fans are amazing. They really have a lot of impact on the game compared to the NBA. It’s just basketball at the end of the day, but I like how they move the ball here in the EuroLeague. I think it complements my game.”
Did you feel you left Belgrade with unfinished business?
“Nah, I think I did the best I could do. Like you said, I was only there for a few weeks. I love Belgrade, I love Partizan. I had a pretty solid experience. It was cool, it was good.”
Would you return to Partizan?
“Yeah, if they offer me, for sure. I’d definitely weigh the options. But I was trying to get into the NBA, so I really wasn’t involved in EuroLeague free agency. I listen to any team. I like playing basketball. It doesn’t matter which team; I just like hooping.”
Is the NBA still your priority?
“Not right now. It’s Efes.”
Could it become your priority again next summer?
“I don’t know. I’m just going to go wherever the ball takes me.”
How different is the pressure of playing in Belgrade compared to the NBA? Did your experience there change the way you look at basketball?
“No. I’ve dealt with a lot of things that were similar to Partizan. I played for Chicago and we had a very tough season, and the fans really weren’t with us. I’ve been part of that losing situation where the fans wanted us to win.
It’s all about winning at the end of the day. If you win games, the fans will love you. If you’re not winning games, you’ve got to believe they’re going to be upset. So just try your best to win every game.”
Chicago, criticism and the Phoenix turnaround
You were a first-round pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, but a few years later people inside the Bulls organization publicly questioned whether you belonged in the league. How deeply did that affect you?
“They kind of affected me a little bit, but I really didn’t care because I got drafted. So obviously I’m an NBA talent. I didn’t really care. But like I said right before this question, it was rough in Chicago. You’ve just got to fight through it. You can’t worry about the outside noise. You’ve just got to worry about your game.”
What was the toughest part about Chicago?
“Not winning. I feel like I’m a winner. I love winning. I’m all about winning. I don’t really care about individual stats or anything. I just want to win the game at the end of the day.”
You went from playing in China and the G League to reaching the 2021 NBA Finals with Phoenix. What changed during that transformation?
“I’d probably say going to China in general and being humble. I had to reset and kind of get back to 2015 Cam. Big shout out to Monty Williams. He called me and brought me into the bubble, and it kind of changed my life.”
Not just your basketball career, but your entire life?
“Oh, my entire life. Absolutely, absolutely. He’s like a father figure. Obviously, I still have my parents, but he’s a great coach. He loves teaching, and he definitely gave me a couple of things to take with me every day. One of them was about always staying in the gym, always being the last one in the gym and trying to be the first one in the gym. That stuck with me.”
At that point, Dario Saric walked in, fresh off his interview with a Greek outlet. The Croatian big man waved and headed straight to the locker room.
“And this guy was on my team, too,” Payne recalled. “He helped me as well on that Phoenix team. Shout out to those guys. They really pushed me through.”
Why Europe is different — and why NBA players might stay
What is generally harder about playing in the EuroLeague, particularly for American guards coming from the NBA?
“Probably adjusting to how they play. It’s a little more physical. The refs call things a little differently, and there’s the language barrier when you’re talking to the refs. Sometimes they feel like you’re being aggressive when you’re just trying to talk to them, and it’s a slight misunderstanding. That was my thing when I came to Partizan, dealing with the refs. But it’s just a different game, and now that I know, I won’t have to worry about it.”
Having played on both sides, do you see Europe becoming a genuine long-term destination for established NBA players?
“I think so. A lot of guys have the opportunity to feel like they’re back in college, to have control of the team or get the shots they were getting back in college. Sometimes it’s just about comfort.”
Does the EuroLeague actually resemble college basketball to you?
“A little bit. There’s no defensive three-second rule, so that’s why I say it’s kind of similar. The defensive coverages are similar to college. In the NBA, you can’t sit in the paint, so there’s a lot more space. In the EuroLeague, it’s a lot more crowded.”
Giannis, LeBron, Kobe and the EuroLeague’s best player
You played alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee, while your former team, Philadelphia, now has LeBron James. How surprising has it been to see these developments?
“It was actually crazy playing with Giannis. I never thought I was going to be playing with Giannis. It was super cool just seeing how he does his everyday thing. I wear Giannis’s shoes every day, so that’s probably how I got on his team!”
Really?
“Absolutely, absolutely. Him and Thanasis, those are my guys.”
What do you make of Giannis moving to Miami and LeBron joining Philadelphia?
“It’s going to be interesting for Giannis. I think they have a really good team. They have a really good opportunity to go to the Eastern Conference Finals, the championship round, along with the Sixers. The Sixers have a great team, outside of LeBron, with all those guys they added.”
Which move changes the NBA’s balance of power more: LeBron’s or Giannis’s?
“I don’t know. LeBron. When you see the NBA, a lot of times you think of LeBron, so I’d probably say LeBron.”
Would you consider LeBron one of your role models?
“No. I don’t want to say that in a disrespectful way at all, but I’m a Kobe Bryant guy. I’m all Kobe Bryant. Rest in peace. Back in the day, when it was the argument about Kobe or LeBron, I was a Kobe guy.”
Who’s the best player in the EuroLeague? Who’s the league’s Kobe Bryant right now?
“Mike James.”
And who’s second-best?
“Vezenkov is an amazing player from the outside looking in. He’s been running it for the last four or five years. So, between him and Mike James. But Mike James is on my team, so Mike James.”
