Sponsors put in more money for Nattie 3-on-3 basketball tourney
Published:Saturday | September 27, 2025 | 12:09 AM
Players shooting for top awards in the Marland Nattie Legends 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament now have a ‘sweeter’ pot at which to aim, with double the serving in prize money for the Most Valuable Player in the senior men’s category.
The second staging of the tournament that honours stalwarts Marland Nattie and Elfraito ‘Alf’ Remekie – who dedicated practically all their lives to the local game up to their passing within the past two years – will tip off on Saturday, October 4 at the University of Technology Auditorium.
One of the key sponsors, General Accident Insurance, will be responsible for swelling the senior men’s MVP prize. There are several other tournament backers, the Bob and Rita Marley Foundation, KFC, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) 3-on-3, McLeod Custom Brokers and Powerade.
Kiesha Lindsay, secretary of the Marland Nattie Oberon Pitterson (MNOP) Foundation which runs the memorial tournament, informed that, “we’ve General Accident actually giving prize money that has increased from $10,000 last year, to $20,000 this year for the MVP in the Open Men’s category. Let’s hope that helps to sweeten the pot for most of these players.”
More food has been added to the offerings in another division, with the Open Female champions guaranteed $45,000 this outing, 5,000 more than the amount Sim’s Angels copped last year when they defeated LA Sparks in the final.
The losing team in the Open Female division final will earn $25,000, with the MVP cash award at $5,000.
“There’s no increase in our U19 division,” Lindsay informed. “Their cash prize still stands at $30,000 for the champion, $12,000 for second place and their MVP is $5000.”
Expounding on the competition’s capacity, Lindsay added, “We cater to the schoolers, to the Open female, they are either club players or school league players; and the Open male. There are players in the school community, there are players in the club community, so persons can create a team. It’s four persons per team and the entry cost is $4,000 per team.”
“With that I’m certain that we will either get the same 40 teams, or we’ll get more,” she said of the 13 Under 19, nine Open Female and 18 Open Male teams that were shooting for the top awards last season.
Team Nattie won the inaugural Open Men’s title, and the Under 19 division was won by Rebels, who beat Conez in the final.
Teams can register on the Instagram page (mnopdata2025) for the Marland Nattie 3-on-3 Legends Basketball Tournament.
“We’re sharing the link with persons so that they can share in their network, for persons to come onboard,” said Lindsay, confirming that at least 10 teams had already registered for the tournament honouring two of Jamaica basketball’s big men.
Besides representing Jamaica, Nattie, a former stellar player at Kingston College and its club team Kingston College Old Boys, was JABA president from 1997-2008, and he was instrumental in getting the National Basketball League started in the early 2000s. He also served as a coach and was vice president of the Caribbean Basketball Confederation.
Remekie was a founding member of the Jamaica Basketball Association, who for over 30 years served as a coach, developing and mentoring numerous players and coaches, especially in the St Catherine parish and at G.C. College of Physical Education and Sport.