‘Draymond is crushed’: Devastation after ex-NBA player killed in shooting

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green has been “crushed” by the death of a former teammate in a Florida shooting.

Adreian Payne was killed in a Florida shooting. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Adreian Payne, a big man who starred at Michigan State and played four seasons in the NBA, died aged 31 on Monday.

Payne died as a result of a shooting that took place at 1.30am in Florida, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.

Payne was shot in the Econ Landing neighbourhood. He was rushed to the hospital but pronounced dead.

The suspected shooter, 29-year-old Lawrence Dority, remained on the scene and co-operated with authorities. Dority was arrested on a charge of first-degree murder.

The Ohio native played at Michigan State under Tom Izzo from 2010-14 and was a teammate of Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green.

“Draymond is crushed,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, in a press conference ahead of his team’s game against Memphis on Tuesday. “They were the best of friends. We’re thinking of them today. Feeling a lot of grief.”

Payne was Second-Team All Big Ten in his junior and senior seasons. During his final campaign with the Spartans, he entered the season on the Wooden and Naismith award watch-lists and proceeded to average 16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

Adreian Payne during his time with the Timberwolves. (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

Payne and Michigan State won Big Ten tournament titles in 2012 and 2014.

The former Spartan gained national notoriety when he befriended Lacey Holsworth, a young girl who inspired Michigan State’s basketball team before succumbing to nervous system cancer at eight years old in 2014.

“She helped me in a lot of ways,” Payne, who called her “Princess Lacey,” said at the time. “Me being able to spend time with her, take my mind off basketball, that’s good when you can do that.”

That year, Payne was selected 15th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks.

Adreian Payne played 107 NBA games. (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Adreian Payne celebrates with 8 year old Lacey Hullsworth after the 69-55 win over the Michigan Wolverines during the finals of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

During his four seasons in the NBA, Payne also played for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Orlando Magic, averaging four points and three rebounds in 107 total games.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family during this difficult time,” Orlando Magic spokesman Joel Glass said in an email, per Click Orlando.

After leaving the NBA after the 2017-18 season, Payne played internationally in Greece, China and Lithuania.

This article was originally published by the New York Post and reproduced with permission

Originally published as ‘Draymond is crushed’: Devastation after ex-NBA player killed in shooting