Former Phoenix Suns guard signs with Turkish basketball team
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Former Phoenix Suns guard signs with Turkish basketball team
Duane Rankin, Arizona Republic·AZCentral | The Arizona Republic
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2 min read
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FormerPhoenix Sunsguard Cameron Payne has signed with Anadolu Efes SK, the Turkish basketball team announced Oct. 3 on X.
Payne played four seasons (2019-23) for the Suns. The 6-foot-2-inch point guard averaged a career-high 9.8 points in Phoenix as he was part of three playoff teams.
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The Suns reached the 2021 finals and won a franchise-record 64 games in 2021-22 with Payne a spark off the bench. He posted 29 points and nine assists in Chris Paul's absence in Game 2 of the 2021 Western Conference Finals, leading the Suns to a 104-103 win over theLos Angeles Clippersto take a 2-0 series lead.
Suns fans line up around the arena during Suns Fan Fest at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 2, 2026.
Suns Fan Fest brings fans, team together before season. See photos
Suns Fan Fest at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 2, 2026.
(Patrick Breen/The Republic)
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Suns Fan Fest brings fans, team together before season. See photos
Suns fans call out for tossed merch during the Suns Fan Fest at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 2, 2026.
(Patrick Breen/The Republic)
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Suns Fan Fest brings fans, team together before season. See photos
Suns dancers perform during Suns Fan Fest at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 2, 2026.
(Patrick Breen/The Republic)
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Suns Fan Fest brings fans, team together before season. See photos
Suns dancers perform during Suns Fan Fest at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 2, 2026.
(Patrick Breen/The Republic)
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Suns Fan Fest brings fans, team together before season. See photos
Suns center Duop Reath takes the stage during Suns Fan Fest at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 2, 2026.
(Patrick Breen/The Republic)
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Suns Fan Fest brings fans, team together before season. See photos
Suns forward Koa Peat takes the stage during Suns Fan Fest at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix Oct. 2, 2026.
(Patrick Breen/The Republic)
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Suns Fan Fest brings fans, team together before season. See photos
Suns forward Rasheer Fleming takes the stage during Suns Fan Fest at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 2, 2026.
(Patrick Breen/The Republic)
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Suns Fan Fest brings fans, team together before season. See photos
Suns fans line up around the arena during Suns Fan Fest at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 2, 2026.
(Patrick Breen/The Republic)
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Suns Fan Fest brings fans, team together before season. See photos
Suns fans line up around the arena during Suns Fan Fest at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 2, 2026.
(Patrick Breen/The Republic)
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Suns Fan Fest brings fans, team together before season. See photos
Suns fans arrive during Suns Fan Fest at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 2, 2026.
(Patrick Breen/The Republic)
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Suns Fan Fest brings fans, team together before season. See photos
Suns fans arrive during Suns Fan Fest at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 2, 2026.
(Patrick Breen/The Republic)
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Suns Fan Fest brings fans, team together before season. See photos
Suns fans Victoria Manriquez and her nephew, Jace, 2, pose for pictures during Suns Fan Fest at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 2, 2026.
(Patrick Breen/The Republic)
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Suns Fan Fest brings fans, team together before season. See photos
Suns fans arrive during Suns Fan Fest at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 2, 2026.
(Patrick Breen/The Republic)
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Suns Fan Fest brings fans, team together before season. See photos
Suns center Oso Ighodaro takes to the stage during Suns Fan Fest at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 2, 2026.
(Patrick Breen/The Republic)
Paul was in the NBA's COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Phoenix won the game on Deandre Ayton's epic "Valley-Oop," but Payne led the Suns to victory.
Payne scored a playoff-career high of 31 points in his final game with the Suns, which ended in a 125-100 road loss to theDenver Nuggetsin Game 6 of the 2023 conference semifinals.
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The Nuggets won the series in six as they proceeded to win an NBA championship.
Payne will also be remembered in Phoenix for his arrest on June 14, 2024, for giving a false name, Terry Johnson, when the police came to his Scottsdale home in response to a 9-1-1 call he made for a disturbance with his girlfriend.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin atdmrankin@gannett.comor contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at@DuaneRankin.
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