Ex-Timberwolf Player Shot Dead in Florida
It's a sad day around the Timberwolves organization as news spreads about the death of a former forward on the team.
The news comes from Florida where the Orange County Sheriff's Office says that early Monday morning Lawrence Dority had been arrested on a first-degree murder warrant after shooting and killing former NBA player Adreian Payne, aged 31.
Payne was traded to the Timberwolves in 2015 from the Atlanta Hawks and played for the team until 2017. From 2107 to 2018 he played for the Orlando Magic and he never played for the NBA after that. Payne spent some time playing basketball in Europe, China, and his last professional job was with the Juventus Utena of the Lithuanian Basketball League, he last played for them in February of this year.
Payne was a star during his four years playing for Tom Izzo at Michigan State, he was All-Big Ten second team in two of his four seasons and was a pivotal part of the Spartan's Elite Eight appearance in 2014. Payne averaged 16.4 points per game and 7.3 rebounds during his time at Michigan.
On September 8th, 2021, Payne tweeted a message about taking a break from basketball to focus on his son who had a brain procedure. At the time he said he would "be back doing what I love soon. Basketball has my heart." He did in face return to the court just a few months later in Lithuania.