By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said Draymond Green ‘is just crushed’ by the death of his friend and former Michigan State teammate Adreian Payne.
“Draymond is just crushed,” he said opening the press conference following the morning shootaround, as relayed by Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area, “Devastating news today.”
Payne was shot to death early this morning, as confirmed by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. According to the official report, the fatal shooting happened around 1:30 a.m. in the Econ Landing neighborhood on Egret Shores Drive near Curry Ford Road and State Road 417. He was found suffering from a gunshot wound and was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Lawrence Dority was arrested on a first-degree murder charge.
At Michigan State, he had 8.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.0 blocks, 0.6 assists, and 0.6 blocks per contest over 138 appearances in four seasons stretching from 2010 to 2014. After being picked up by the Atlanta Hawks with the 15th selection of the 2014 NBA draft, he logged 107 games played between the Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Orlando Magic before moving his talents overseas. His European experience included a couple of stints with Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos.
Green, 32, played alongside Payne in his junior and senior NCAA years as a member of the Spartans. Coming out of Michigan State, he was selected with the 35th overall pick of the 2012 NBA draft by the Warriors.
The Warriors will host the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals best-of-seven series today, Monday. They are up 2-1.