Just 31 years old, former Minnesota Timberwolves big man Adreian Payne has died, according to multiple reports.
How and where Payne died is unclear, but the Detroit Free Press has reported his death following Payne’s former teammate Jared Sullinger tweeting about the terrible news he received Monday morning.
Hate the news i received this morning…. Rest Easy to my brother/Teammate @Adreian_Payne
— Jared Sullinger Sr. (@Jared_Sully0) May 9, 2022
Payne played three of his five NBA seasons with the Timberwolves, spending 2014-2017 in Minnesota where he played under former head coaches Flip Saunders, Sam Mitchell and Tom Thibodeau.
After his career in the NBA ended in 2018, he played overseas as a member of Panathinaikos in Greek League Basketball.
Payne was a standout in the Big Ten at Michigan State and was drafted in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks.
