31-Year-Old Former NBA Star Adreian Payne Shot Dead In Florida

Former Michigan State basketball star Adreian Payne was reportedly shot and killed in Orlando, Florida, on Monday morning.

Deputies with the Orange County Sheriff's Office were said to be alerted of a shooting just after 1:00 a.m. local time on Monday. They responded to a call and immediately went to the location wherein Payne was found wounded. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The suspect, who police have identified as Lawrence Dority, was still at the scene as the police arrived. The authorities transported Dority to Orange County Sheriff's Office headquarters, where homicide detectives interviewed him. He has since been arrested on a warrant for first-degree murder. The motives of the crime remain unknown.

The former National Basketball Association (NBA) star is a 31-year-old native of Dayton, Ohio. He played for the Spartans from 2010 to 2014, where he earned second-team All-Big Ten honors during his junior and senior seasons. He legendarily broke Michigan State University's postseason record with 41 points against Delaware in the first round of the 2014 NCAA tournament and finished his career as MSU's all-time leader in blocks. He is also considered as one of 10 Spartans ever with 1,200 career points and 700 career rebounds

Tributes have poured following the news of his tragic death. The MSU Head Coach Tom Izzo, who trained Payne in college, said, "I'm in shock at the tragic news of Adreian Payne's death. Our prayers are with his family, teammates and loved ones. Adreian was loved by his teammates and coaches, who respected his development as a player and a person."

Former MSU teammate Anthony Ianni also recalled his friendship with Payne, "He was just all about life. He was all about putting smiles on people's faces. And he was just a kind and gentle soul," he said, who played with Payne from 2010-12. "That that was Adreian Payne that we all that we that we watched grow, and that's the guy that we were proud to call our brother."

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr also offered his condolences to the family of the former Michigan State center during his news conference on Monday. Payne spent time with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Orlando Magic. He also played basketball internationally, competing in Greece, China, Lithuania, France and Turkey.