Warriors’ Draymond Green, Wife Hazel Donating $100K to Honor Adreian Payne

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Golden State Warriors star Draymond
Green and his wife, actress Hazel Renee, announced they are donating
$100,000 to honor the legacy of Adreian Payne.

CNN’s Tina Burnside, Kevin Dotson and
Amy Woodyatt reported Payne, 31, was shot and killed in Orlando
during the early morning hours Monday. The Orange County Sheriff’s
Office said Lawrence Dority was arrested and charged with
first-degree murder.

“It was great to lose myself in
the game for 48 minutes,” Green told ESPN’s Kendra Andrews.
“Rest in peace, Adreian Payne. My brother, my little brother, my
college roommate, my teammate. Very, very emotional day, but the win
helps. It sucks.”

Afterward, he hosted a special edition
of his Draymond Green Show podcast entitled “A Tribute To Adreian
Payne.”

Payne was a first-round pick of the
Atlanta Hawks in 2014. He played for several teams in the NBA and
overseas. He was most recently a member of Juventus Utena in Lithuania
during the 2021-22 season.

Michigan State reached the NCAA
tournament in both seasons Green and Payne were on the roster
together (2010-11 and 2011-12) and won the 2012 Big Ten tournament title.

MSU head coach Tom Izzo said
Payne would “long be remembered by Spartan fans for his kind heart,
as his friendship and genuine bond with Lacey Holsworth touched the
nation.”

Payne befriended Holsworth, an
8-year-old girl with cancer, during his time with the Spartans after meeting her at the hospital.
Holsworth died in 2014.