James Marsh (April 26, 1946 – August 12, 2019) was an American professional basketball player who competed in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA) for one season. He played college basketball at the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

, and played professionally for the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

of the NBA. After his playing career, Marsh spent time as an assistant coach at the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

before transitioning to a career as a broadcaster for the

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...

, which is the franchise by whom he was drafted out of college. He served as the

color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main ( play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and ...

on SuperSonics television broadcasts for 12 years. Marsh was diagnosed with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

in 2004. He had two adult daughters and lived in Kirkland, Washington, where he continued to coach an AAU basketball team. Marsh died on August 12, 2019.

References

1946 births 2019 deaths American men's basketball players Basketball players from Pasadena, California Pasadena High School (California) alumni People with Parkinson's disease Portland Trail Blazers players Seattle SuperSonics announcers Seattle SuperSonics draft picks Small forwards Sportspeople from Pasadena, California USC Trojans men's basketball players Utah Utes men's basketball coaches {{1940s-US-basketball-bio-stub