The Boston Celtics lost in the 2026 playoffs to the Philadelphia 76ers, but Payton Pritchard walked out of the playoffs with the respect and admiration of one of the best players in NBA history: Allen Iverson.

The former 76ers standout reportedly called Pritchard "the coldest white boy I've ever seen," as revealed in a lengthy ESPN piece on Pritchard that came out on Monday.

The story was mostly about Pritchard's work ethic, determination and drive to be great, but that was a nice anecdote that will certainly be remembered. And any compliment from Iverson is a good one given his status in the game and his reputation.

Iverson basically changed the way the game was played, blending basketball with hip-hop culture. He's revered my many for his cultural influences.

Pritchard, 28, was a first-round pick of the Celtics in the 2020 NBA Draft out of Oregon. He has steadily improved throughout his career, earning Sixth Man of the Year honors in 2024-25 and averaging 17.0 ppg a season ago.

Entering play on Monday, Pritchard was averaging 10.5 ppg through two games this season. He's a career 39.4 percent 3-point shooter.

He helped the Celtics win the 2023-24 NBA finals alongside the likes of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, and Al Horford.

Now 51 years old, Iverson was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2016. The former No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft out of Georgetown (1996), Iverson spent 14 years in the NBA with the 76ers, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies. Heralded because of his small size and toughness, he averaged 26.7 ppg for his career while also dishing out 6.2 assists.

An 11-time All-Star, a four-time scoring champ, a three-time steals champion and a seven-time All-NBA selection, he also won the league's Rookie of the Year (1997) and MVP (2001) awards.

Given his physical play style, Iverson was out of the league in 2010 at just the age of 34.

The Celtics are taking on the Chicago Bulls on Monday night at TD Garden and they'll be back in action on Tuesday night in Brooklyn against the Nets. Head coach Joe Mazzulla said the team will manage back-to-backs for multiple players. He didn't say explicitly that guys like Paul George, Mitchell Robinson and Jayson Tatum won't play, but he did say that he trusts the team's depth.