A growing number of current and former NBA players have decided to make the switch to other professional leagues around the globe in recent years.
The EuroLeague, specifically, currently boasts a record 119 ex-NBA talents across its 20 teams for the 2025-26 season.
As of late, an offer was recently handed to yet another former NBA veteran to increase that figure to 120, as ex-New York Knicks point guard Cam Payne was reportedly given the chance to suit up for Serbia’s Partizan Belgrade.
After mulling over their offer, Payne’s decision was revealed by The Stein Line’s Marc Stein on Sunday afternoon.
“UPDATE: Veteran guard Cameron Payne has decided to stay home for now to wait for his next NBA opportunity, The Stein Line has learned, despite strong interest from Serbia’s Partizan Belgrade,” Stein shared via X/Twitter on Sunday.
Payne’s professional basketball journey took an unexpected turn this past offseason when he decided to leave the Knicks and sign a training camp deal with the Indiana Pacers. The 31-year-old’s stint with Indiana ended after just nine days, as he was subsequently waived and sent back to free agency.
If the former No. 14 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft were to have accepted the offer to join Partizan Belgrade, he would have taken the floor alongside other former NBA players Isaac Bonga, Shake Milton, Jabari Parker, Aleksej Pokusevski, Duane Washington, Sterling Brown and Carlik Jones.
Instead, he’ll opt to remain home in an effort to earn another shot on an NBA roster in the near future as the 2025-26 NBA season gets underway.
In 72 appearances with New York in 2024-25, Payne contributed 6.9 points and 2.8 assists paired with a 36.3% shooting clip from three-point range.
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