Adreian DeAngleo Payne (February 19, 1991 – May 9, 2022) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. He played in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA) for the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

, and

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

as well as for several European and Asian teams. Payne played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

Michigan State Spartans The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 Varsity team, varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan Army, Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the sc ...

High school career

Payne played high school basketball for Jefferson High School. He posted averages of 15.6 points, 11.3 rebounds and 4.0 blocks as a senior. As a senior, he led Jefferson to a Division IV state championship and a 19–5 record. The ''

Dayton Daily News The ''Dayton Daily News'' (''DDN'') is a daily newspaper published in Dayton, Ohio. It is owned by Cox Enterprises, Inc., a privately held global conglomerate headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, with approximately 55,000 employee ...

'' named him first-team All-Area. He was named a fourth-team ''Parade'' All-American.

College career

As a freshman at

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

, Payne averaged 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds per game, playing in 34 games. During that year he was diagnosed with permanent reduced lung capacity, an ailment which affected his stamina. In his sophomore season, he led the

Spartans Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the valley of Evrotas river in Laconia, in southeastern P ...

in blocks (39) and finished seventh in the Big 10. In 37 games (36 starts), he averaged 7.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. He was an Academic All-Big Ten selection. As a junior, Payne led the Big Ten in free-throw percentage (.848) and blocked a total of 46 shots, good for sixth all-time for a Michigan State player. In 36 games (24 starts), he averaged 10.5 points and 7.6 rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game. Payne was named to the Second Team All Big Ten, along with Michigan State teammates

Keith Appling Keith Damon Appling (born February 13, 1992) is an American former basketball player and convicted murderer. After going undrafted in the 2014 NBA draft, Appling appeared sporadically for the Orlando Magic before being waived in 2016. He played c ...

and

Gary Harris Gary Harris (born September 14, 1994) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans. High school ca ...

. Coming into his senior year, Payne was on the preseason Naismith and

Wooden Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

Award watchlists.

CBS Sports CBS Sports is the American sports programming division of Paramount Global that is responsible for sports broadcasts carried by its broadcast network CBS and streaming service Paramount+, as well as the operator of its cable channel CBS Sports N ...

selected him to the preseason Third Team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

. He was named to the Midseason Wooden Award Top 25 watchlist. Payne was twice named Big Ten Player of the Week. He missed seven games due to an ankle injury. At the conclusion of the regular season Payne was named Second Team All-Big Ten.

NCAA Tournament

The Michigan State big man scored 41 points in a 93–78 win over Delaware, setting the pace for the 2014 NCAA Tournament. Moreover, Payne shot 17 of 17 from the free-throw line, which set an NCAA Tournament record for most free throws made in a game without a miss.

Friendship with Lacey Holsworth

During the 2013–14 college basketball season, Payne's friendship with Lacey Holsworth, an 8-year-old cancer patient, gained national media attention. Their friendship started when Payne met Holsworth during a team-sponsored hospital visit in 2011 and the two began to text and talk frequently afterward. Holsworth, who had

neuroblastoma Neuroblastoma (NB) is a type of cancer that forms in certain types of nerve tissue. It most frequently starts from one of the adrenal glands but can also develop in the head, neck, chest, abdomen, or Vertebral column, spine. Symptoms may include ...

, accompanied Payne at center court on Senior Night and helped him cut down the nets after

2013–14 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team The 2013–14 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2013–14 college basketball season. The Spartans, led by 19th-year head coach Tom Izzo, played their home games at the Breslin Center in ...

won the

Big Ten men's basketball tournament The Big Ten men's basketball tournament is held annually at the end of the men's college basketball regular season. The tournament has been played each year since 1998. The winner of the tournament is designated the Big Ten Tournament Champion, a ...

. Holsworth, also known as "Princess Lacey", died from her cancer on April 8, 2014.

Professional career

Atlanta Hawks (2014–2015)

On June 26, 2014, Payne was selected with the 15th overall pick in the

2014 NBA draft The 2014 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2014, at Barclays Center, Brooklyn. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The ...

by the

. On July 25, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Hawks after averaging 12.5 points and 7.0 rebounds during the

2014 NBA Summer League The 2014 NBA Summer League consists of two pro basketball leagues organized by the NBA and the Orlando Magic just after the 2014 NBA draft. Ten teams took part in the week-long summer league at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, from July 5 t ...

. After managing five preseason games for the Hawks, he was ruled out for the start of the regular season with

plantar fasciitis Plantar fasciitis or plantar heel pain is a disorder of the plantar fascia, which is the connective tissue that supports the Arches of the foot, arch of the foot. It results in pain in the heel and Sole (foot), bottom of the foot that is usuall ...

in his left foot. He subsequently missed the first ten games of the season with the injury, and upon his return, he was assigned to the

Fort Wayne Mad Ants The Noblesville Boom are an American professional basketball team based in Noblesville, Indiana that competes in the NBA G League. The Boom are the affiliate team of the NBA's Indiana Pacers and, since 2025, they have played their home games at ...

of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

on November 20. He was recalled by the Hawks on November 23, reassigned on November 28, and recalled again on December 6. With the maximum allowance of four NBA players already being on assignment to the Mad Ants, the flexible assignment rule was used on December 9 so the Hawks could assign Payne to the

Austin Spurs The Austin Spurs are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Cedar Park, Texas, and are affiliated with the San Antonio Spurs. The team plays their home games at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. The team has made the po ...

, the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

' one-to-one D-League affiliate. On December 22, he was recalled by the Hawks, going on to make his long-awaited NBA debut four days later against the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

. He recorded 2 points and 3 rebounds in 13 minutes of action as the Hawks lost 107–77. On December 30, the flexible assignment rule was again used to assign Payne to Austin. He was recalled again on January 12, 2015.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2015–2017)

On February 10, 2015, Payne was traded to the

in exchange for a protected future first-round pick. On March 9, 2015, while starting in place of

Kevin Garnett Kevin Maurice Garnett ( ; born May 19, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who played 21 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Big Ticket," Garnett is considered one of the greatest power f ...

, he had a season-best game with 16 points, and 15 rebounds in an 89–76 loss to the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

. On October 21, 2015, the Timberwolves exercised their third-year team option on Payne's rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2016–17 season. On January 25, 2016, using the flexible assignment rule, he was assigned to the Erie BayHawks, the

D-League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

affiliate of the

. He was recalled by the Timberwolves on February 1. On February 7, 2017, Payne was ruled out indefinitely with a blood condition, having been treated for low platelet counts. He returned to action in late March.

Orlando Magic (2017–2018)

On August 21, 2017, Payne signed a

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless o ...

with the

. Under the stipulations of the deal, he spent the majority of the 2017–18 season with Orlando's

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

affiliate, the

Lakeland Magic The Osceola Magic are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Kissimmee, Florida, and are affiliated with the Orlando Magic. The Magic began play in the 2017–18 season as the Lakeland Magic, and now play their ho ...

. On January 26, 2018, he was waived by Orlando after his name surfaced in an alleged sexual assault dating back to his freshman year in college. After an investigation, no charges were filed.

Panathinaikos (2018)

On February 5, 2018, Payne signed with the

Panathinaikos Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos (, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club based in the City of Athens. Panathinaikos is one of the mos ...

of the

Greek Basketball League The Greek Basketball League (GBL), and also known as the Stoiximan Greek Basketball League (GBL) for sponsorship reasons, is the first tier level professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by the Hellenic Basketball Associat ...

for the remainder of the 2017–18 season. His best game yet was against Spanish club

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

recording 12 points and grabbing 8 rebounds in 17 minutes. In the last game of the

EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

regular season, against

Olimpia Milano Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano, commonly known as Olimpia Milano or as EA7 Emporio Armani Milan after its title sponsor, is an LBA Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy. Its colors are white and red, and the team is sometimes ...

, he started for the first time. He finished the regular season averaging 3.5 points and 4 rebounds a game in a total of eight matches played.

Nanjing Tongxi Monkey King (2018–2019)

Payne started the season 2018–19 with the Nanjing Tongxi Monkey King of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier men's professional basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

, where he averaged 16.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.

Return to Panathinaikos (2019)

On January 12, 2019, Payne and

reached an agreement that would bring the player back in Greece for a second stint with the EuroLeague club. On January 13, 2019,

signed the center to a deal for the remainder of the season. On February 17, 2019, Payne helped

Panathinaikos BC Panathinaikos B.C. (), also simplified to Panathinaikos, and as Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens for sponsorship reasons, is the professional basketball team of the major Athens-based multi- sport club Panathinaikos A.O. It is owned by the Gianna ...

to win the

Greek Basketball Cup The Greek Basketball Cup or Hellenic Basketball Cup (also stylized as Basket Cup; Greek: Κύπελλο Ελλάδος καλαθοσφαίρισης ανδρών) is the top-tier level annual professional basketball national cup competition i ...

title against

PAOK BC PAOK (, Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινοπολιτών, ''Panthessalonikeios Athlitikós Ómilos Constantinopoliton'', ''Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans''), commonly ...

79–73
. The final was held in

Heraklion Heraklion or Herakleion ( ; , , ), sometimes Iraklion, is the largest city and the administrative capital city, capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion (regional unit), Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in G ...

, Sports Indoor Arena,

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

. Payne's second stint with the Greek club proved to be briefer than his first, as he was released on March 13, 2019.

ASVEL (2019–2020)

On March 19, 2019,

ASVEL Basket ASVEL Basket, currently known as LDLC ASVEL for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional basketball team located in the commune of Villeurbanne, a suburb of Lyon, France. The club, which is the basketball section of the ASVEL multi-sports ...

of the French

LNB Pro A LNB may refer to: Sport * Liga Nacional de Baloncesto, a professional basketball league in the Dominican Republic * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol, an Argentine basketball league * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol (Paraguay), Liga Nacional de Básquetb ...

announced that they had signed Payne. With ASVEL, Payne won the 2019 Pro A championship as well as the

French Cup The Coupe de France (), also known in English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is ...

that year.

Ormanspor (2021)

On February 25, 2021, Payne signed with

OGM Ormanspor OGM Ormanspor is a Turkish professional basketball club based in Ankara. Currently, the team plays in the Turkish Basketball First League. Established in 1971, the team played in the lower divisions of Turkish basketball for decades. In 2019, Orma ...

of the Turkish

Basketbol Süper Ligi The Basketball Super League (; TBSL), also known as the Türkiye Sigorta Basketbol Süper Ligi for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's professional basketball division of the Turkish basketball league system. It replaced the former Turkish Bas ...

(BSL).

Juventus (2021–2022)

In December 2021, Payne signed with the Juventus Utena of the

Lithuanian Basketball League Lithuanian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Lithuania, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe ** Lithuanian language ** Lithuanians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to Lithuania and the immediate geographical region ** L ...

. He averaged 8.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. Payne parted ways with the team on February 17, 2022.

Career statistics

NBA

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, 3 , , 0 , , 6.3 , , .286 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.3 , , .0 , , .3 , , .0 , , 1.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, 29 , , 22 , , 24.8 , , .418 , , .125 , , .659 , , 5.4 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , .3 , , 7.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 52 , , 2 , , 9.3 , , .366 , , .281 , , .654 , , 2.1 , , .6 , , .3 , , .2 , , 2.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 18 , , 0 , , 7.5 , , .426 , , .200 , , .737 , , 1.8 , , .4 , , .4 , , .4 , , 3.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

, 5 , , 0 , , 8.6 , , .700 , , .667 , , .833 , , 1.8 , , .0 , , .4 , , .0 , , 4.2 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 107 , , 24 , , 13.1 , , .406 , , .254 , , .680 , , 2.9 , , .6 , , .4 , , .3 , , 4.0

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;",

, 12 , , 1 , , 9.5 , , .579 , , .000 , , .542 , , 2.8 , , 0.2 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 4.8 , , 4.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 12 , , 1 , , 9.5 , , .579 , , .000 , , .542 , , 2.8 , , 0.2 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 4.8 , , 4.2

Death

On May 9, 2022, Payne was fatally shot in

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

, after he and his girlfriend had travelled to the home of Lawrence Dority in an attempt to prevent a

domestic dispute Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. In a broader sense, abuse including nonphysical abuse in such settings is called domestic abuse. The term "domestic violence" is often use ...

. Payne was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. Dority claimed he felt threatened by Payne's 6'10" height and believed Payne was reaching for a weapon, but he was arrested and charged with first-degree murder after police determined that Payne had not posed a threat.

References

External links

*
Michigan State Spartans bio
(archived)
Adreian Payne
at

LNB Élite The LNB Élite, currently known for sponsorship reasons as Betclic Élite, is a professional basketball league in France and is the highest level of the French basketball system. The competition has existed since 1921. Since 1987, the Ligue Nat ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Payne, Adreian 1991 births 2022 deaths American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Lithuania American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball players American murder victims ASVEL Basket players Atlanta Hawks draft picks Atlanta Hawks players Austin Spurs players Basketball players from Dayton, Ohio BC Juventus players Competitors at the 2013 Summer Universiade Deaths by firearm in Florida Erie BayHawks (2008–2017) players Fort Wayne Mad Ants players Nanjing Monkey Kings players Lakeland Magic players Michigan State Spartans men's basketball players Minnesota Timberwolves players OGM Ormanspor players Orlando Magic players Panathinaikos B.C. players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People murdered in Florida Power forwards 21st-century American sportsmen 2022 murders in the United States