Player Bio

Payne was born Aug. 8, 1994 in Bartlett, Tennessee to Tony and Leshawn Payne. He attended Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis, Tennessee, growing from 5-foot-5 as a freshman to 6-foot as a senior. He led the high school to a 2013 Division II state title. As a senior, he averaged 20 points and 10 assists with four rebounds and was named Mr. Basketball. After high school, he attended Murray State for two seasons of college ball. During his sophomore season, he averaged 20.2 points, 6.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 steals in 32.2 minutes. After the season, he was named the OVC Player of the Year and proceeded to declare for the NBA Draft. Payne attended Murray State for two seasons. As a freshman, he started all 34 of his appearances, averaging 16.8 points, 5.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals. That resulted in him being named OVC Freshman of the Year. Arguably his best effort as a freshman was Mar. 27 against Towson, where Payne totaled 24 points (8-13 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 4-4 FT), seven assists, five steals and four rebounds in 30 minutes. As a sophomore, Payne improved his numbers, averaging 20.2 points, 6.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 steals. As a result, he was voted OVC Player of the Year in 2015. In arguably his best performance as a sophomore, the guard recorded 32 points (10-19 FG, 4-7 3Pt, 8-12 FT), eight assists, five rebounds and two steals.