Adreian Payne was an American professional basketball player who last played for Juventus Utena of the Lithuanian Basketball League. He played college basketball for Michigan State University.
An 8-year-old cancer patient’s bond with Payne was widely covered by the media during the 2013–14 NCAA basketball season.
Following their 2011 encounter at a team-sponsored hospital visit, Payne and Holsworth became fast friends who communicated via text and phone calls on a regular basis.
When Payne’s Michigan State Spartans men’s basketball team won the Big Ten tournament in 2013-14, Holsworth, a neuroblastoma survivor, accompanied him at center court and helped him cut down the nets.
She was known as “Princess Lacey” and died on April 8, 2014, from cancer. The Atlanta Hawks selected Payne in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft, with the 15th overall choice.
After averaging 12.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in the 2014 NBA Summer League, he signed a rookie deal with the Hawks on July 25.
Plantar fasciitis in his left foot sidelined him for the start of the regular season after he managed five preseason games for the Hawks.
Adreian Payne Parents: Meet Thomas Payne and Gloria Lewis
The late Adreian Payne’s parents are Thomas Payne and Gloria. Despite having parents, Adreian Payne was raised by his grandmother Lewis.
