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 (appr ...

player. He played in the

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

(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 league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

, 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 league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

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

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

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 sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and wh ...

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, United States. It is owned by Cox Enterprises, Inc., a privately held global conglomerate headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, with approximately ...

'' 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, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

, 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 (Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referred t ...

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 professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Michigan State Spartans men's basketball, Michigan State University. High school career Appling played high school ...

and

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

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

Wooden Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin tha ...

Award watchlists.

CBS Sports CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W 5 ...

selected him to the preseason Third Team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

. 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.

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 neck, chest, abdomen, or spine. Symptoms may include bone pain, a lump in the ...

, 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 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, an ...

. 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 the Barclays Center, Brooklyn National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...

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 (PHP) is a disorder of the plantar fascia, which is the connective tissue which supports the arch of the foot. It results in pain in the heel and bottom of the foot that is usually most severe with the f ...

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 Fort Wayne Mad Ants are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and are affiliated with the Indiana Pacers. The team plays their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. The M ...

of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

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 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 postseason in 8 ...

, 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 league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

' 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 league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

. 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 for 21 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed KG by his initials, and the "Big Ticket" for his emphatic dunki ...

, 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 Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

. 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 the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...

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 of ...

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 the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

affiliate, the

Lakeland Magic The Lakeland Magic are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Lakeland, Florida, and are affiliated with the Orlando Magic. The Magic began play in the 2017–18 season and play their home games at the RP Fundin ...

. 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 ( el, Παναθηναϊκός Αθλητικός Όμιλος, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club ba ...

of the

Greek Basketball League The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...

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

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

recording 12 points and grabbing 8 rebounds in 17 minutes. In the last game of the EuroLeague 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 professional men's 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. ( el, ΚΑΕ Παναθηναϊκός), also known simply as Panathinaikos, is the professional basketball team of the major Athens-based multi-sport club Panathinaikos A.O. It is owned by the billionaire Giannakopoulos fa ...

to win the

Greek Basketball Cup The Greek Basketball Cup or Hellenic Basketball Cup (Greek language, Greek: Κύπελλο Ελλάδος καλαθοσφαίρισης ανδρών) is the top-tier level annual pro basketball national cup competition in Greece. It is organiz ...

title against

PAOK BC P.A.O.K. B.C. ( el, Κ.Α.Ε. Π.Α.Ο.Κ., Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινοπολιτών, ''Panthessaloníkios Athlitikós Ómilos Konstantinopolitón'', "Pan-Thessalonikian Athletic Cl ...

79–73
. The final was held in

Heraklion Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban A ...

, Sports Indoor Arena,

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

. 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, commonly known as ASVEL or sometimes as ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne, and also known as LDLC ASVEL for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional basketball team that is located in the city of Villeurbanne, which is a suburb of Lyon ...

of the French

LNB Pro A The LNB Pro A, currently known for sponsorship reasons as Betclic Élite, is the top-tier men's professional basketball league in France. The competition has existed since 1921. Since 1987, the Ligue Nationale de Basket has governed the league. ...

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, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and professiona ...

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 ( tr, Basketbol Süper Ligi; BSL), 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 replac ...

(BSL).

Juventus (2021–2022)

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

Lithuanian Basketball League Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...

. 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 capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, 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 state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, 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 () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...

, 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 the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

, after he and his girlfriend had traveled to the home of Lawrence Dority in an attempt to prevent a domestic dispute. 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
{{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 African-American basketball players American men's basketball players ASVEL Basket players Atlanta Hawks draft picks Atlanta Hawks players Austin Spurs players Basketball players from Dayton, Ohio Erie BayHawks (2008–2017) players Fort Wayne Mad Ants players Nanjing Tongxi 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 BC Juventus players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Power forwards (basketball) Deaths by firearm in Florida American murder victims People murdered in Florida Male murder victims