According to The Detroit Free Press, former Michigan State basketball standout Adreian Payne died in Orlando, Florida. He was 31 years old.
Former teammates flocked to Twitter to spread the news of his death, according to a person close to the incident. Payne was shot and died, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO), shortly before noon.
At 1:37 a.m. on Monday, the department responded to a report about a gunshot. They discovered the body of a guy subsequently identified as Payne. He was rushed to the hospital and declared dead.
Lawrence Dority, 29, was eventually identified as the gunman by the OCSO. Dority stayed at the scene and was taken to OCSO headquarters to speak with homicide investigators.
He was arrested and sent to the Orange County Jail on a warrant for First Degree Murder. Payne spent four years with the Spartans and head coach Tom Izzo. In the 2014 NBA Draft, he was a first-round pick of the Atlanta Hawks.
Payne spent time in the NBA after the draft, including spells with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Orlando Magic, as well as the NBA’s G-League, before leaving overseas.
He played with Panthiakos in the Greek League Basketball, where he won the 2018 GBL title and the 2019 Greek Basketball Cup. During the 2018-19 season, he also played in China.
Payne was a Spartan on the squad that honored Lacey Holsworth, a Michigan State basketball fan who built a unique friendship with Payne.
