Adreian Payne, former Michigan State basketball star, dead at 31

Former Michigan State Spartans basketball star Adreian Payne has died. He was 31.

Jared Sullinger, a former Ohio State star, tweeted the news early on Monday morning. Specific details surrounding Payne’s death have not yet been reported.

“Hate the news I received this morning…. Rest Easy to my brother/Teammate @Adreian_Payne,” Sullinger tweeted.

Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press later confirmed the report of Payne’s death.

“Confirmed the former MSU star big man has died,” Solari tweeted. “He was 31.”

Payne played a big role across four seasons at Michigan State, and he continuously got better throughout his career. He started six games as a freshman, averaging 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds. He jumped into a starting role as a sophomore, averaging seven points and 4.2 rebounds with 36 starts. Payne made another leap as a junior, posting a line of 10.5 points and 7.6 rebounds, also blocking 1.3 shots per game. As a senior in the 2013-2014 season, he averaged 16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds, playing 28.1 minutes per game across 31 contests.

Overall, Payne averaged 8.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in his four-year collegiate career. He shot 52.6% from the field at Michigan State, and was also a 75.5% shooter from the free throw line.

Payne was then selected with the No. 15 overall pick int he 2014 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. He played in just three games as a rookie in Atlanta before he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a future first-round pick. Payne then spent the next three years in Minnesota, and later signed with the Orlando Magic for the 2017-18 season.

In his five-year NBA career, Payne played in 107 games with 24 starts. He averaged four points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 0.3 blocks per game in his career.