Former Michigan State basketball star and former NBA baller Adreian Payne was shot and killed early Monday (May 9) morning in Orlando, Florida.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office announced it responded to a call at 1:37 a.m. of a man who had been shot.
Adreian was transported to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Deputies arrested 29-year-old Lawrence Dority at the scene on a warrant for first-degree murder.
Adreian Payne was a Dayton, Ohio native who played for the Spartans from 2010 to 2014 and earned second-team All-Big Ten honors his junior and senior seasons.
During college, Adreian made headlines after forging a special friendship with Lacey Holsworth, a young girl from St. Johns stricken with cancer, who became a fixture around the 2013-14 Spartans.
Lacey died of complications from neuroblastoma a little more than a week after the season ended.
He was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks with the 15th pick of the 2014 NBA draft and was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves during his rookie season.
Adreian played 107 NBA Games over three seasons, but his career ended after an ESPN report about him being involved in an alleged sexual assault his freshman year at MSU resurfaced.
Prosecutors did not press charges at the time and no legal action followed the ESPN story in 2018, but he was released by the Orlando Magic.
From there, AP took his talents overseas playing in Greece, China, France, Turkey, and Lithuania.
Magic Johnson took to social media to react to the news of Adreian’s passing, writing:
Cookie and I are heartbroken to hear that former Spartan Adreian Payne has passed away. Our prayers and thoughts are with his family and Spartan Nation! Adreian will be sorely missed. ????????????
See his original tweet below.
My sincerest condolences to the Payne family and all who knew and loved Adreian.
Source: Detroit Free Press
