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Here's why MSU basketball wears a patch with the numbers 5 and 24

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Phil Friend, Lansing State Journal
·2 min read
The Michigan State men's basketball team has worn a patch with the numbers "5" and "24" across its right shoulder all season long to honor two former players who died in 2022.
The Michigan State men's basketball team has worn a patch with the numbers "5" and "24" across its right shoulder all season long to honor two former players who died in 2022.

The Michigan State men's basketball team has been wearing a patch on its right shoulder above the Nike symbol all season.

It has a black background with the number 5, the Spartan logo and the number 24, all in white.

The patch honors two stars of MSU's past who died in 2022 — Adreian Payne and Stan Washington.

No. 5

The 5 honors Adreian Payne, the center who starred for the Spartans from 2010-14. He was shot and killed in May 2022 in Orlando, Florida, after going with his girlfriend to assist a female acquaintance who was in an allegedly abusive relationship when the suspect, Lawrence Dority, shot and killed Payne.

MSU's Adreian Payne dropped 41 points against Delaware in the first round of the 2014 NCAA tournament.
MSU's Adreian Payne dropped 41 points against Delaware in the first round of the 2014 NCAA tournament.

Payne, 31, earned second-team All-Big Ten honors his junior and senior seasons at MSU. He holds the Spartans' postseason record for most points in a tournament game (41 vs. Delaware, 2014), graduated as the program's all-time leader in blocks and is one of 10 Spartans to compile career stats of 1,200 points and 700 rebounds.