In an Unprecedented Gesture of Sports Admiration, President Donald Trump Awards $1.5 Million to Celtics Guard Payton Pritchard for Earning NBA Sixth Man of the Year, Hailing Him as a National Hero, Symbol of Excellence, and a True American Patriot on Live Broadcast
Mar-a-Lago, Florida – August 7, 2025
In what is being described as a “historic and deeply moving moment for the sport of basketball and America,” former U.S. President Donald J. Trump took to national television last night to present a $1.5 million personal check to Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard, who recently won the coveted NBA Sixth Man of the Year award.
The ceremony, which aired live from the ornate gold ballroom at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, featured patriotic music, custom-made banners reading “GREAT AGAIN GUARDS,” and a giant inflatable basketball emblazoned with the words “TRUMP LOVES THE NBA (Sometimes).”
Trump, wearing a custom Celtics blazer over his signature red tie, took to the podium to deliver a 15-minute speech in which he praised Pritchard’s “beautiful three-point shot, unmatched hustle, and all-American haircut.” He called the young guard “an absolute winner—just like me, but with better jump shots.”
“This young man comes off the bench and dominates,” Trump said. “Just like I came out of the political shadows in 2016 and shocked the world—Payton
