Kenny Payne

Kenneth Victor Payne (born November 25, 1966) is an American college basketball coach and former player who is currently the associate head coach at the University of Arkansas. Previously, he was the head 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 and 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. He also played professionally overseas in Italy, Japan, Brazil, the Philippines, Cyprus, China, Argentina and Australia. 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.

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. In 2012, Payne met with Mississippi State University's athletic director about its men's basketball team's head coach vacancy, though ultimately he was not hired.

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

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.

During the fall of 2023 there was frustration and anger among fanbase, with members calling for Payne's termination with an open petition, a website, trending social media posts, and a song called "Fire Kenny Payne" by Jonathan Hay.

Payne won his first road game on January 10, 2024, defeating Miami.

After the 2023–24 season, Louisville fired Payne. Payne finished his two seasons in charge with a 12–52 overall record and a 5–35 conference record. The Cardinals finished last in the ACC in both seasons where Payne was head coach.

A month after being fired, Payne was hired as an associate head coach at Arkansas.

Head coaching record

Personal life Payne and his wife Michelle have two children. One of his children, Zan, was a player for the Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team.