Marvena Kemp

Marvena was born to the late Marvin L. Thomas and his wife, Christine Thomas. She had one brother, Jason. Marvena Kemp was the first wife of Shawn Travis Kemp - a basketball player who played for the Seattle SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic in the NBA. She was 33 when she married then 32 year old Shawn in Harris Texas on July 4th 2001. They had three children, including Shawn Jr., and Jamon Kemp, both of whom played college basketball. Shawn is the father of 7 children from 5 marriages, four of those marriages after Marvena, but he still speaks highly of her. Marvena is the Founder & Director of the Marvin Thomas Foundation, which is committed to positively impacting the lives of youth in the Seattle area. This foundation is named after her father Marvin Thomas. Marvin is described as follows: "From humble beginnings as a child in rural Mississippi, Marvin Thomas set an example of living generously and setting a foundation of hard work, athletics, and joyful giving that stays with us today even over 20 years after his passing." The website for the foundation goes on to say: '"The Marvin Thomas Foundation is committed to impacting the lives of youth in the Seattle area and in so honoring the life and legacy of Marvin Thomas." See Marvin's obituary at Marvin L. Thomas, laborer, Obituary. She is also involved in basketball and used to be a co-director of the Northwest College Summer League, as well as having organized many pro-am basketball tournaments in the Seattle area.