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Marcus Washington III

Marcus Levi Washington III was a Black American professional basketball player and recreation-center volunteer from West Baltimore. During his senior year at West Baltimore High School, he played shooting guard and wore number twenty-three before receiving a full athletic scholarship to the University of Maryland. He completed a kinesiology degree in 2019 and began his professional career with the Washington Wizards. His mother, Diana Rochelle Washington, taught him basketball before her death in 2010, and his grandparents became his primary caregivers within the family’s shared home.

Early Life and Family

Marcus was born on January 21, 1997, to Marcus Washington II and Diana. He was their only child and grew up with his parents and paternal grandparents in the Washington Family Home.

Diana taught Marcus basketball in the driveway and encouraged him to watch the entire court rather than focus only on the player he was guarding. Marcus wore number twenty-three in her honor.

Diana died of triple-negative breast cancer in 2010, when Marcus was thirteen. His father’s grief and alcohol use impaired his ability to parent consistently, so Denise Washington and Marcus Washington I assumed most of Marcus’s daily care without anyone leaving the multigenerational home.

Education and Basketball

Marcus attended West Baltimore High School, where he played varsity shooting guard.

During a December 2014 game, a University of Maryland assistant coach evaluated Marcus and invited him for a campus visit. Marcus visited College Park in January 2015 and continued through the program’s evaluation process.

Main article: UMD Scout Game (December 2014) - Event

Main article: UMD Campus Visit (January 2015) - Event

University of Maryland coaches offered Marcus a full athletic scholarship during a March 2015 visit to the Washington home. He planned to study kinesiology through the School of Public Health.

Main article: UMD Home Visit (Late March 2015) - Event

Main article: Marcus Washington III (Career and Legacy)

Marcus attended the University of Maryland and completed a B.S. in Kinesiology in 2019. The Washington Wizards selected him in the 2019 NBA Draft, and he began his rookie season that fall.

Physical Characteristics

By his senior year of high school, Marcus was six feet four inches tall and broad-shouldered, with arms that filled the sleeves of his jersey.

Personality and Communication

Marcus was loud, warm, and quick to joke. He filled conversational space easily and often teased people he cared about. When worry or grief broke through that energy, his voice became quieter and his attention narrowed.

He was less comfortable discussing his own romantic feelings than responding to someone else’s immediate distress. With people he trusted, he could move quickly from joking to direct concern.

Volunteer Work

Marcus volunteered at the West Baltimore Recreation Center for approximately two years before the summer 2014 crisis. He helped with children’s art projects and basketball activities.

Marcus worked alongside Keisha Clark, Devon Morgan, and other young volunteers. He witnessed portions of Shanice’s mistreatment of Keisha and did not intervene consistently. He later acknowledged that failure as his relationship with Keisha deepened.

During the Summer 2014 MJ Assault Crisis, Marcus joined the volunteers supporting changes in how the center treated MJ Henderson and other children.

Family and Core Relationships

Diana Rochelle Washington

Main article: Diana Washington and Marcus Washington III

Diana introduced Marcus to basketball, coached him, and attended his games from the third row at center court. Marcus continued wearing her number after her death.

Marcus Washington II

Main article: Marcus Washington II and Marcus Washington III

Marcus knew that his father continued attending games even when he remained in the back rows. At the December 2014 scout game, Marcus reacted with visible joy when he saw Marcus II sitting three rows closer than usual.

Denise Washington and Marcus Washington I

Denise and Pop had lived with Marcus since birth. After Diana’s death, they provided the consistent parenting his father could not manage. Both attended his games, with Denise cheering loudly and Pop offering quieter support.

Romantic and Significant Relationships

Keisha Clark

Main article: Marcus Washington III and Keisha Clark

Marcus and Keisha volunteered together before beginning a romantic relationship in early December 2014. Keisha attended the scout game in a purple coat and unknowingly sat in Diana’s former seat between Denise and Pop. Marcus and Keisha later attended the University of Maryland, married in spring 2019, and had a daughter, Rochelle Washington, in 2020.

Memorable Quotes

“Keish. You gotta give me something. I’m out here having a heart attack.” (Marcus responding when Keisha began crying after the scout game.)

Characters Supporting Characters Living Characters Black Characters Black American Characters Athletes Washington Family