By Nikola Miloradovic / info@eurohoops.net
Cameron Payne has played on the NBA’s biggest stage, but he is finding plenty to enjoy in Istanbul, too.
After leading Anadolu Efes to victory in his first taste of the derby against Besiktas, the American guard pointed to the atmosphere and his role on the team.
Payne scored 22 points, including Efes’s first 11 of the fourth quarter, to help secure an 89-80 victory in Round 7 of the EuroLeague. Efes improved to 3-4, matching Besiktas’s record.
“Shoutout to my teammates for getting me open, to the fans — they did a hell of a job tonight. Thank God! Just keep pushing. We played together as a team and found a way to win. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” Payne said afterward.
Besiktas had cut a 21-point halftime deficit to eight entering the final quarter, but Payne’s scoring burst helped Efes regain control.
“The game was really competitive. Being part of the derby was really dope,” he said. “It was fun, a very intense, competitive game. I love the atmosphere, and I just want us to keep going.”
Payne reached the 2021 NBA Finals with the Phoenix Suns, a career highlight he remembers fondly. Still, he is enjoying this chapter as well.
“That was a good time, but this is an amazing time as well.”
Asked whether this was better, Payne replied with a smile in his words:
“Lowkey, lowkey… I’m having fun out here. I actually have a role, a big-time role as part of a team. So it’s fun to be out there playing a lot.”
Make 
Your Preferred Basketball Source.
Add Eurohoops to Google