Kenny Payne

Payne with the Kentucky Wildcats in 2014
Louisville Cardinals
Position	Head coach
League	Atlantic Coast Conference
Personal information
Born	(1966-11-25) November 25, 1966 (age 57) Laurel, Mississippi, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school	Northeast Jones (Laurel, Mississippi)
College	Louisville (1985–1989)
NBA draft	1989: 1st round, 19th overall pick
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Playing career	1989–2000
Position	Small forward
Number	21
Coaching career	2004–present
Career history
As player:
1989–1993	Philadelphia 76ers
1993–1994	Tri-City Chinook
1999–2000	Cairns Taipans
As coach:
2004–2009	Oregon (assistant)
2010–2014	Kentucky (assistant)
2014–2020	Kentucky (associate HC)
2020–2022	New York Knicks (assistant)
2022–present	Louisville
Career highlights and awards
As player: NCAA champion (1986) Second-team Parade All-American (1985) As assistant coach: NCAA champion (2012) 6× SEC tournament winner (2010, 2011, 2015–2018) Pac-10 tournament winner (2007)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

Kenneth Victor Payne (born November 25, 1966) is an American college basketball coach and former player who is the head men's basketball coach at the University of Louisville. Prior to being hired at Louisville, Payne spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) and 195 lb (88 kg) small forward, Payne played college basketball at Louisville and was a member of the 1986 NCAA championship squad. He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 19th pick of the 1989 NBA draft.^[1]

Playing career

Payne played for the University of Louisville from 1986 to 1989, winning a national title as a freshman in a victory over Duke. As a starter his last two years at Louisville, he averaged 10.7 points and 5 rebounds as junior, and 14.5 points and 5.7 rebounds as senior, while shooting 51% from the field, including 43% on 3-pointers. His last season, Louisville won the Metro Conference tournament and was rated 12th in the final poll and the team made it to the Sweet 16.

In four NBA seasons from 1989 to 1993 for the Philadelphia 76ers, he averaged 3.5 points and 1.2 rebounds per game. He was waived by the team in January 1993 after failing to live up to expectations.^[1] He also played professionally overseas in Italy, Japan, Brazil, the Philippines, Cyprus, China, Argentina and Australia.^[2] Following his NBA stint, Payne played one season in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) in 1993–94, averaging 16.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game for the Tri-City Chinook.^[3]

Coaching career

Payne served as assistant coach for the University of Oregon from 2004 to 2009. From 2010 to 2014, Payne served as assistant coach for the University of Kentucky; from 2014 to 2020, he was the associate head coach.^[4][5] In 2012, Payne met with Mississippi State University's athletic director about its men's basketball team's head coach vacancy,^[6] though ultimately he was not hired.^[7]

On August 11, 2020, the New York Knicks hired Payne as assistant coach under head coach Tom Thibodeau.^[8]

On March 18, 2022, Payne was introduced as the new head men's basketball coach at the University of Louisville. He finished his first year as head coach with only four wins, the worst record in modern history for any Louisville basketball team.

There is some frustration and anger in the fanbase who are speaking out to terminate Payne as coach with an open petition, a website, trending social media posts and a song called "Fire Kenny Payne" by Jonathan Hay.^[9][10]

Payne won his first road game on January 10, 2024, defeating Miami. ^[11]

Head coaching record

Personal life

Payne and his wife Michelle have two children.^[2] One of his children, Zan, is a player for the Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team.