CAMDEN, NJ — The Philadelphia 76ers officially signed point guard Cam Payne Wednesday morning, beginning the second stint of his career in the City of Brotherly Love. After putting pen to paper, Payne joined the Sixers on their practice court for his first run with the team and addressed the media shortly after, discussing the details of his return and his excitement to rejoin the team.
“It actually happened pretty fast,” Payne said of his return to Philadelphia. “I found out maybe two or three days ago, I was literally at my game. I was out that game, so I was just watching, and my agent kind of told me during the game, and he was like, 'Man, it's gonna happen pretty fast. So you might want to pack. We got to go through the logistics, but you might want to pack.' So after that game, I went and packed.”
Payne last played for the Sixers in the second half of the 2023-24 NBA season after the team acquired him and a second-round pick from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for veteran guard Patrick Beverly. Payne played 31 games for Philadelphia, starting in eight, and averaged 9.3 points and 3.1 assists.
Despite impressing and being a favorite among the locker room and the fanbase, Payne would not return to the Sixers, instead signing with the New York Knicks for the following season.
This season, Payne signed with the Indiana Pacers but was waived before the season began. He had a tryout with the Phoenix Suns, but found himself without an NBA home to start the season, though he had plenty of interest from Serbian club KK Partizan, with whom he signed in December.
“It's really good that I came to a familiar team,” Payne said. “But man, I really went to Partizan just to play there. It wasn't really the thought, obviously, I wanted to get back. But all my focus was there. So I feel like sometimes when your focus is in the right place, like, things like this happen.”
Payne now reunites with several Sixers from his previous stint, including Tyrese Maxey, for whom he had high praise.
“That man took a crazy jump,” Payne said of Maxey. “I feel like he took a crazy jump from last year. This year, I feel like he excelled his game even more coming to this season, just watching the shots he takes. Obviously, he's been taking those shots, but the efficiency is crazy. He's actually changed his game from the last two years [since] I was here. So that's really big time. He really took a huge step.”
Payne expressed his eagerness to reunite with several teammates in Philadelphia and spoke about his excitement for some of his new teammates, like rookie VJ Edgecombe.
"Man, he's a dog,” Payne said of Edgecombe. “I've been watching from afar, but actually being up close, that man's a dog. He plays well... He attacks the rim like crazy... it kind of looks like he's been in the league a little bit longer than [he has], just being a rookie... everybody says his energy is great, too. Kyle [Lowry], the first day, he said, 'Oh, you're gonna love him,' and same vice versa. So I'm just looking forward to the games and really getting to play alongside him."
Officially back in Philly, Payne will make his 2025-26 season debut with the Sixers as early as Thursday's matchup against the Atlanta Hawks.
Unless otherwise stated, all stats included in this article are via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass, Basketball Reference or Team Rankings. All salary information via Spotrac.
