Media reaction to former Michigan State star Adreian Payne passing away

On Monday, the heartbreaking news of former Michigan State star Adreian Payne passing away shook the basketball world. In the moments after the news broke, multiple media personalities and athletes took to Twitter to share their thoughts and prayers amid the tragedy.

The sting is still fresh, and the hurt is evident in the words of Seth Greenberg and Jay Bilas of College GameDay on ESPN.

“Absolutely brutal,” tweeted Greenberg. “Prayers.”

Bilas echoed Greenberg’s sentiment: “So sad to hear that former Michigan State star Adreian Payne passed away at the age of 31. AP was an outstanding player for Tom Izzo, and befriended Lacey Holsworth through her battle with cancer. RIP Adreian Payne.”

Additionally, Ant Wright — a content creator who specializes in the NBA Draft, high school recruiting and college basketball — was saddened by the news.

“Incredibly sad news about Adreian Payne,” tweeted Wright.

Moreover, Jeff Goodman of Stadium chimed in on the woeful news of the day.

“Sad news about former Michigan State big man Adreian Payne,” tweeted Goodman. “Has passed away at 31 years old.”

Jared Sullinger — a former Ohio State star who played with and against Payne since his AAU days — was distraught over the tragic revelation.

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

Continuing, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports felt the sting of losing the former Michigan State star, putting it all in perspective.

“This is HEARTBREAKING,” added Rothstein. “Prayers to his family. Every day is indeed a gift.”

Archie Miller — the newly-minted head coach at Rhode Island after stops in Dayton and Indiana — tweeted how sad he is to hear of Payne’s passing after watching him develop as a basketball star.

“Sad to hear the passing of Adreian Payne this morning,” tweeted Miller. “Started watching him while he was in 10th grade, remember his grandmother on his visit. Loved seeing him develop at Michigan St. and become an NBA player. (Prayers) for his loved ones, Spartans, and Dayton, OH. #RipAP.”

As you can see, the hurt of losing Adreian Payne is being felt throughout the basketball world. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Adreian Payne.

More on Adreian Payne

Adreian Payne played a big role across four seasons at Michigan State, and he continuously got better throughout his career. He stared 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 2017-2018 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.