Mark Tatum wife Lisa Skeete Tatum is the founder and CEO of a career pathing platform called Landit. The power couple lives in New Jersey.
Tatum is currently serving as the NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer. He was also ranked number 8 by Forbes in the list of “Most Influential Minorities in Sports”.
After graduating with a master’s degree from Harvard Business School, Mark joined the NBA in 1999 as senior vice president for marketing partnerships. Following years of experience and expertise, he was unanimously appointed to the current post of NBA on 1st February 2014.
The 53-year-old business executive is highly acclaimed for his phenomenal role in the success of the league globally including the launch of the Basketball Africa League(BAL).
Whilst working as the deputy commissioner to Adam Silver, Mark holds the responsibility of hosting the NBA draft lottery and announcing second-round picks in the annual NBA Draft.
With the 2023 NBA Draft lottery scheduled for 16 May at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, the announcement of the lottery results will be made by Tatum this year as well.
Fourteen teams that failed to qualify for the NBA Playoffs are eligible for the draft lottery. It will determine the order of selection for the first 14 picks of the 2023 NBA Draft.
Mark Tatum Married Life
Mark Tatum tied the knot with Lisa Sketee Tatum in 1995. They are living in a gracious marital relationship for more than two decades now.
The beautiful couple first met at Cornell University where they shared the PNG table. While speaking on a podcast with a long-time friend Arvia Few, Mark disclosed that they went out for their first date on New Year’s Eve.
After meeting with Lisa, the current NBA COO was so impressed that he went home and said to his mother that he just met with his future life partner. Mark further stated he was highly impressed with the confidence and inspiring nature of Skette.
More than 23 years later, they share the same love, compassion, support, and respect for each other. Their union has gone from strength to strength with every single passing day.
When Lisa was honored a couple of years ago by Portfolia for her leadership and invaluable work to enhance women and diverse groups, Tatum took to LinkedIn to express his pride and called her amazing.
Lisa and Mark have two children in the family. Despite the global recognition, they prefer to keep their private life away from the media.
Mark Tatum sons are named Tai Tatum and Kylan Tatum. Growing up together in New Jersey, they are highly inspired by the achievements of their old folks and strive to follow the same path.
Lisa Tatum Is An Entrepreneur
Lisa founded Landit in 2015 in the Greater New York City Area. She has been operating as the CEO of the company for more than eight years.
Landit is a personalized career pathing platform created to increase the success of women and diverse groups in the workplace. Per Linkedin, her expertise lies in board roles, customer acquisition, fundraising strategies, and social impact.
Skette was previously on the Board of Directors for Stryker, Union Square Hospitality Group and World 50, Inc. She is also on the member board of Trustees at the Lawrenceville School since September 2018.
Mrs. Tatum completed her bachelor’s studies in chemical engineering from Cornell University in 1985. Furthermore, she graduated with an MBA degree from the prestigious Harvard Business School in 1998.
In recognition of her impactful activities, Lisa has been featured in some reputed magazines like Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, BBC Business, and CNBC among many others.
Mark Tatum Parents
Mark Tatum parents are Kim Tatum and Charlie Tatum. He was born to them on 22 October 1969 in Vung Tau, Vietnam.
Charlie is a former US Army who served in the Air Force for four and a half years. He emigrated from Jamaica with his mother and sister in 1963 when he was 18 years old.
The Tatum couple actually met when Charlie served during the Vietnam War in the late 1960s. Charlie even did two extra stints in Vietnam to ensure that he had adequate paperwork to bring his family back to the United States.
Whilst speaking in an interview with Andscape, Mark revealed that he feels so blessed that his father didn’t leave him behind in the country unlike many others after US forces withdrew from Vietnam in the spring of 1975.
Charlie Tatum later stated that there was no way he was going to leave his offspring behind and even told Kim that even if she isn’t coming with him, the little boy will. No way Kim was willing to be separated from her loved ones, so she also traveled together with them.
Mark Tatum Family Background
Mark comes from a mixed Jamaican – Vietnamese family background. Tatum was only 1 year old when his family moved to the United States.
They settled in the West Indian community in the East Flatbush neighborhood of New York City. While his grandma was also there to raise him in childhood, the Asian influence was very minimal on him with only Kim present of the Vietnamese descent.
Since his mother practiced Buddhism, Mark got that little exposure to Asian traditions as he embraced multicultural diversity growing up.
Tatum graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1987. His parents always focused more on his education than anything else.
Furthermore, he was also interested in sports from a very early age as he led the high school baseball team to the NY City championship at Yankee Stadium in 1984. He later played collegiate baseball for the Cornell Big Red baseball team.
Kudos to the upbringing, Tatum has really grown in stature and established himself in bigger roles for the National Basketball Association.