Le Detroit Free Press announced on Monday the death of American interior Adreian Payne, 31, champion of France with Asvel in 2019. The basketball player was shot and killed in Orlando, as later confirmed by the county sheriff’s office of Orange. He succumbed to his injuries after being taken to hospital. A suspect was arrested at the scene and taken into custody.
Lakers legend Magic Johnson reacted. Like him, Payne went through the Spartans (University of Michigan) in college, where he was one of the stars of the team. He said on Twitter “Heartbroken to learn of the passing of Spartan Adreian Payne. Our prayers and thoughts are with his family and the Spartan people. Adreian will be greatly missed.”
Drafted in 15th position by the Atlanta Hawks in 2014, Payne had also passed through the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Orlando Magic in the NBA before joining Europe, including notable stints at Panathinaikos and Asvel. In 2019, he was one of the artisans of the Coupe de France – Jeep Elite double. He left the French Championship in February 2020 for the Turkish club Ormanspor then for the Lithuanian team Utena, before returning to the United States last September. He had announced that he was taking a break from his career to take care of his son Amari, who was to undergo brain surgery.
