Nattie and his wife Oberon in happier times. The long-serving basketball administrator died on Sunday after suffering a stroke earlier this year.
Marland Nattie, Vice President of the Jamaica Basketball Association (JABA) died on Sunday after suffering a stroke just over two months ago.
In his early 60s, Nattie, who was also a former president of the association, spent most of his adult life serving the sport of basketball as a player, coach and administrator. He leaves behind his widow, Oberon Pitterson-Nattie, former national netball player and coach. They had been married for about 10 years.
His sudden passing early Sunday afternoon came as a shock because, according to JABA president Paulton Gordon, based on information he had been receiving, his vice president was making progress in his recovery.
“The basketball family is saddened at his passing. Nattie has served basketball at various levels over the years. He dedicated his life to basketball as a player, as a coach at Kingston College and elsewhere and in administration in various roles,” Gordon told Sportsmax.TV on Sunday.
“He was president for a couple of terms, in other capacities as general secretary and he was the current vice president. He also served regionally, most recently as a vice president in charge of development at the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) and prior to his passing he sat on the CBC Council so he is a true basketball man right throughout his life he had dedicated himself to serving basketball and youth development.
“He will be sadly missed as an administrator; his experience. You could always call on Nattie for advice, he has details that because of his skills in basketball, you could call on him for things that are useful in terms of planning, so we will certainly miss Nattie.”
Jamaica’s Sports Minister Olivia Grange expressed her regret at Nattie’s passing, saying she, too, was surprised at the tragic news.
“With Marland’s death, I again must express my deep regret at the loss of another of our outstanding sports persons,” she said.
“I spoke with his wife, Oberon, who was a former national netballer and coach of the Sunshine Girls, who said his death was unexpected as he seemed to be recovering from a stroke he had suffered. As I expressed my condolences to Oberon, I told her that I was sure that the entire basketball community and all of his friends and associates would join the family in mourning Marland’s death. Our prayers are with her, the rest of the family and the basketball fraternity.”
A US green-card holder, Nattie and his wife migrated to the United States some time ago but as vice president he would often return to Jamaica to carry out his administrative duties. After being in hospital for some time, Nattie was moved to a rehabilitation facility to continue his recovery and was reportedly doing well.
Hence, it was a shock to all concerned when he died on Sunday.
Leighton Levy is a journalist with 28 years’ experience covering crime, entertainment, and sports. He joined the staff at SportsMax.TV as a content editor two years ago and is enjoying the experience of developing sports content and new ideas. At SportsMax.tv he is pursuing his true passion - sports.
Randle happy to 'feel wanted' despite 'shock' trade to Timberwolves
Julius Randle says he is happy to be at the Minnesota Timberwolves where he "feels wanted" but admitted feeling shocked by the New York Knicks trade.
He was part of a blockbuster trade, joining the Timberwolves with Donte DiVincenzo, as Karl-Anthony Towns headed the other way in a deal that was completed earlier this week.
Randle was a three-time All-Star with the Knicks as their starting power forward, a Most Improved Player winner and a two-time All-NBA selection.
Last season, he averaged 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game, though he did not play in the playoffs after dislocating his shoulder on January 27 and opted to undergo surgery in April after two months of rehab.
Although he had initially been looking forward to another shot at the playoffs with the Knicks, he is now invigorated about joining another championship contender.
"It was a lot of emotion," Randle said. "You spend a lot of time living in one place, you know, New York, going there five years ago... A lot of blood, sweat, and tears put into that organization and uniform. Initially, it's always going to be a shock.
"You want to be somewhere where you feel wanted. I feel wanted here. At this point in my career, I've accomplished a lot of great things on an individual level, but I want to win a championship. This is a perfect opportunity to do that.
"[The trade] was a breath of fresh air. I'm excited to bring everything I've learned here over the past five years and help these guys out. My only thing here is I just want to help.
"I want to help [Anthony Edwards]. I want to help Rudy [Gobert], Naz [Reid] - all those guys. I want to help win a championship, and that's the only thing that matters."
The Timberwolves start their season against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 22, with their preseason beginning against the same opponent on Friday.
Fever's Clark near-unanimous pick for WNBA Rookie of Year
Caitlin Clark lived up to the lofty expectations as one of the most highly touted rookies in WNBA history, and has been rewarded.
The WNBA announced Thursday that the Indiana Fever star was chosen as the league's Rookie of the Year.
Clark received 66 of 67 votes, with the other vote going to Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky.
After a phenomenal collegiate career, Clark was the first pick of this year's draft and made an immediate impact on the court and also by helping the WNBA gain popularity worldwide.
She broke the league's single-season assist mark with 337 - including a WNBA-record 19 in one game - and averaged 8.4 per game to become the first rookie to lead the league in that stat.
Her 122 3-pointers also led all players and she scored the most points ever by a rookie with an average of 19.2 per game to rank seventh in the WNBA.
With averages of 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals, she started all 40 games for the Fever to help the franchise reach the play-offs for the first time since 2016.
Joining Clark on the 2024 WNBA All-Rookie Team is Reese and Kamilla Cardoso of the Sky, New York Liberty forward Leonie Fiebich and Los Angeles Sparks forward Rickea Jackson.
Fever's Clark chosen as WNBA Rookie of Year
Caitlin Clark lived up to the lofty expectations as one of the most highly touted rookies in WNBA history, and has been rewarded.
The WNBA announced Thursday that the Indiana Fever star was chosen as the league's Rookie of the Year.
Clark received 66 of 67 votes, with the other vote going to Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky.
After a phenomenal collegiate career, Clark was the first pick of this year's draft and made an immediate impact on the court and also by helping the WNBA gain popularity worldwide.
She broke the league's single-season assist mark with 337 - including a WNBA-record 19 in one game - and averaged 8.4 per game to become the first rookie to lead the league in that stat.
Her 122 3-pointers also led all players and she scored the most points ever by a rookie with an average of 19.2 per game to rank seventh in the WNBA.
With averages of 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals, she started all 40 games for the Fever to help the franchise reach the play-offs for the first time since 2016.
Joining Clark on the 2024 WNBA All-Rookie Team is Reese and Kamilla Cardoso of the Sky, New York Liberty forward Leonie Fiebich and Los Angeles Sparks forward Rickea Jackson.
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