[3] He grew up in a home where academics were stressed; his father had attained the rank of master sergeant in the United States Army before retiring, and his mother had a bachelor's degree in biology.

Touted as "another Lew Alcindor" (the player later known as Kareem Abdul Jabbar), Payne struggled in adjusting to college life at Kentucky.

Payne boosted his grades and gained eligibility to play during his sophomore season, averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds per game, earning all-Southeastern Conference honors along the way.

In a road game against the Tennessee Volunteers, Payne flipped Jim Woodall head over heels battling for a rebound.

The future looked bright for Payne after he scored 30 points against Auburn, in a game that clinched the Southeastern Conference regular season title for Kentucky.

With the slim likelihood of being eligible to play the following season, Payne left Kentucky and joined thirteen other underclassmen in the NBA's first-ever supplemental draft.

After completing his sentence in Georgia, Payne served six years in a Kentucky prison on separate rape charges before being paroled in 1983.