Former NBA, Michigan State player Adreian Payne found dead in Orlando at age 31
Former NBA player Adreian Payne was shot and killed Monday morning in Orlando, according to multiple reports.
The former Michigan State star was 31 years old.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said it responded to a call at 1:37 a.m. Monday morning that a man had been shot, the Detroit Free Press reported. The man identified as Payne was later taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead, the Free Press reported.
Orlando’s NBC affiliate, WESH, reported the suspect is 29-year-old Lawrence Dority, who was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
Payne played for Michigan State from 2010 to 2014 and was an All-Big Ten second-team selection in his junior and senior seasons. The Free Press reported the 6-foot-10 forward generated a national story through his friendship during the 2013-14 season with Lacey Holsworth, a young girl battling cancer.
“Payne held her to help cut down the nets after,” the Spartans won the Big Ten tournament, the outlet reported.
More than a week after that season’s tournament run concluded in the Elite Eight, Holsworth passed away from neuroblastoma complications at the age of 8, the Free Press reported.
Payne’s NBA career saw him taken with the No. 14 overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2014 NBA Draft. He played four seasons with the Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves and Orlando Magic before most recently playing overseas.
