“I just use it as motivation. I’m more experienced on the court and I don’t have any issues off the court,” Payne said. “I promised my grandmother I was going to graduate, and that’s what I did. It was very important to get my education and help my team win.”
The Dayton native has done a lot of winning on the court — a state championship at Jefferson High School in 2010 and four straight trips to the NCAA tournament highlighted by a run to the Elite Eight last season.
But it’s the losses off the court that seem to define the soft-spoken big man. His mother, Gloria Lewis, died in his arms when he was 13. Two years later he lost his grandmother.
“It really grounded me and humbled me,” Payne said. “Losing my mom and my grandma made me grow up a lot faster. I had to deal with more responsibilities as I grew up.”
Part of that “growing up” was another loss Payne suffered this year. His friendship with 8-year-old cancer patient Lacey Holsworth was well chronicled. She lost her battle in April.
“She really inspired me to be the person I am today,” Payne said. “Reaching out and always wanting to help somebody and keeping a smile on my face.”
These days there is plenty for Payne to smile about, although he admits the NBA’s audition process can wear a guy out. “I’ve been all over the place,” he said. “I’ve been to Boston, Minnesota, Utah, Atlanta, Toronto. I fly so much you forget where you come from.”
Payne’s last flight before the draft was to New York, where he’s one of 21 players who will be in the green room at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn tonight. He bought a new suit for the occasion and shouldn’t have to wait long to hear his name.
Most experts have Payne as a lottery pick and nobody has him going later than No. 20 overall. “This draft is pretty much up in the air,” Payne said. “So many teams have so many picks, and trades can be made so you don’t really know what will happen.”
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