The Boston Celtics just capped off one of the most dominant seasons in NBA history.
What made the C’s so special was their unselfishness and overall depth. That depth is a full credit to general manager Brad Stevens (and Danny Ainge before him).
The roster is absolutely loaded from top to bottom – and besides their tendency to shoot WAYYYYYY too many threes, the vast majority of the team perfectly knows their role and never tries to do too much.
On a team loaded with stars, one of the players who has flown way under the radar is guard Payton Pritchard.
Pritchard was a star at Oregon, but due to concerns over his lack-of-size, many doubted whether he’d be able to translate into a productive NBA player.
Needless to say, Pritchard has silenced those doubters.
In his four seasons with the Celtics, he’s proven to be a rock-solid player who possesses both the smarts and skills to stick around in the league for a very long time.
His teammates absolutely love him, which is why his dagger bomb from halfcourt at the end of the first half in Game 5 was so perfectly fitting.
Amazingly, Pritchard has a knack for those end of quarter/half Hail Mary’s.
Head coach Joe Mazzulla has spoke glowingly about Pritchard’s unique ability to execute in those situations, even when everyone on the floor knows it will be him taking the shot.
Now an NBA champion and forever a hero in the city of Boston, Pritchard has something else to look forward to: his wedding.
He’s engaged to content creator Emma MacDonald.
Macdonald’s newfound fame has prompted a closer look at her life and relationship with Pritchard.
As it turns out, Pritchard proposed to MacDonald last summer, after the couple went public on social media in February 2023.
MacDonald, a former New England influencer, has since built a substantial platform, boasting over 365,000 followers on Instagram and 843,000 on TikTok.
Alongside her sister Maggie MacDonald, she regularly posts vlogs on TikTok and YouTube, where she has an additional 369,000 followers.
In the midst of Pritchard’s rising NBA career, the couple has also been sharing their wedding planning journey.
Pritchard admitted that MacDonald is leading the charge on the preparations.
“She’s kind of handling everything, I’m just the final decision maker,” he told NBC Sports Boston last November. “If she’s in between a decision, I come in and make the final decision on it.”
MacDonald recently shared insights into their relationship, revealing how they first connected.
During a Q&A on her Instagram Stories last June, she recounted that Pritchard initiated contact with a simple “hey…” in the comment section of one of her posts back in 2021.
She responded with a “hi” in his Instagram messages, but the conversation didn’t progress further at that time.
The two later reconnected on the dating app Raya … “Worked out just how I wanted it to,” Pritchard joked.
Their relationship quickly progressed, with Pritchard referring to MacDonald as his girlfriend before they had officially discussed it.
“I kinda already assumed she was my girlfriend,” he admitted. “I don’t know, I just thought it didn’t need to be said, I thought it already was.”
Appearing in every single game for the Celtics this season, Pritchard averaged 9.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
As most Boston fans will tell you, those numbers don’t come close to telling the full story of Pritchard’s impact.
What are your thoughts on Pritchard as a player?
How about the Celtics as a whole? … Do you think they have a chance to develop into a dynasty?
Or do you think their title this year has a lot to do with the weak playoff path they faced?
Who do you think would have won if it was Celtics-Nuggets in the Finals???