ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The man charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of former NBA player Adreian Payne early Monday is claiming self-defense, according to the arrest affidavit.
Lawrence Dority, 29, was arrested by Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputies on Monday.
Officials say Payne, a former Michigan State forward, was shot in the 2500 block of Egret Shores Drive around 1:30 a.m. EDT. Payne, 31, was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A woman who knows both Payne and Dority told sheriff’s deputies that the shooting occurred during a confrontation between the two men, according to the affidavit.
Payne's death was on the mind of Golden State forward Draymond Green during Monday night’s NBA playoff game. Green paid tribute to his former Spartans teammate.
Draymond's kicks tonight pay homage to his college teammate, Adreian Payne 💚 pic.twitter.com/CHRMFrhBKz
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 10, 2022
In a news conference after Golden State’s victory, Green said he and his wife plan to donate $100,000 to set up a fund in memory of the former Spartans basketball player, with whom he played for two seasons at Michigan State. He urged former Spartans players to do the same.
“I call on my Spartan family — Coach Izzo, Magic, Jaren Jackson, Miles Bridges, Mat Ishbia, all of my Spartan family — to come in and let’s do something in honor of Adreian,” Green told reporters. “If that’s naming something on the campus after him, if that is some scholarship for some kids from Dayton, whatever that is, I call on my Spartan family to band together and do something in Adreian’s name.”
In four seasons at Michigan State — three as a starter — Payne played center and averaged 10.6 points and three rebounds per game. He led the Spartans to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament his final season.
Payne played for three NBA teams, including his final five NBA games in Orlando with the Magic in 2017. He also played professionally in Greece, China, Turkey and Lithuania, including in 2022 with Juventus of the Lithuanian Basketball League.