He was on the floor in the best basketball league in the world for several years, then moved to Europe. Now Adreian Payne has apparently fallen victim to a violent crime.
Former NBA pro Adreian Payne was killed in a shooting in Florida on Monday. The Orlando police confirmed the death of the 31-year-old basketball player.
“A man identified as Adreian Payne, born February 19, 1991, was shot and pronounced dead in hospital,” local authorities said in a statement tweeted. The 29-year-old suspected shooter was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. The motive is still unclear.
Payne was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in 2014 and was a teammate of international Dennis Schröder before moving to the Minnesota Timberwolves after one season. After three years with the Wolves, Payne played one more season in the North American professional league for the Orlando Magic before moving to Europe. Most recently, he was under contract with Juventus Utena in Lithuania.