In an unfortunate turn of events for a prolonged time, Andrew Wiggins lost his father and NBA alumni, the late Mitchell Wiggins. However, the Warriors star is not alone in these tough times. Thankfully, he’s got his mother, Marita Payne, and five other siblings. Little do we know that Mitchell Wiggins was not the only ex-athlete holding the family together. Andrew’s mother is herself an athlete who’ll now lead the Wiggins family ahead. Now 63-year-old is a track and field legend hailing from Canada who had a decorated career as a sprinter.

We know all about the late father. It’s time to know about the roots and journey of Marita Payne, ex-Olympian who’ll take on late Mitchell’s role.

Marita Payne: the woman who took the track and field world by storm early in her life

Canadian by roots, Marita Payne was born on October 7, 1960, in Bridgetown, Barbados. She spent most of her early childhood with parents Ina and Clarence Payne in Christ Church, Barbados. However, in search of a better life, her parents left Barbados to move to New York. Marita could not join her parents for some reason. As Payne grew up and came to the age of nine, she reunited with her parents and moved with them to Toronto, Ontario.

Coming to education, soon after moving to Canada, Marita Payne joined Vaughan Road Collegiate Institute. Her prowess as a sprinter sprouted there. Eventually, during her senior year in 1979, she earned the title of the Ontario provincial champion in both 100m and 200m races. Her athletic adeptness allowed her to get admission to Florida State University, where she earned numerous track and field titles.

Some of her prominent accolades included the 1982 and 1984 national champion titles, 1981, 1983, and 1984 4x100m relay champion at the national level. Coming to the indoor championships, she won the 4x200m national relay title in 1981 and 1983, and 1984 4x400m relay champion. It made Marita Payne a well-known track and field athlete at the national level, earning her 21x NCAA All-American. Surprisingly, her husband was in the same university playing on the Seminoles basketball team where she met him. But Payne had a career to look out for, and she did not just stop after college.

The professional arc of Warrior’s mother from the Commonwealth Games to the Summer Olympics

Marita Payne started competing for Canada at an early age as she earned a bronze medal with the 4 x 400m relay team at the 1979 Pan American Games. As she moved, the medal rank did not upgrade as her 4 × 400 meters relay squad earned a bronze medal at the IAAF World Cup, Rome, as well. Next year, she up her game, clinching the 4 x 100m relay silver medal at the Commonwealth Games.

During the World Championship in 1983, Marita Payne stumbled a bit, finishing fifth in the 400m race. Two weeks post the championship, she appeared in the Pan American Games and got away with the silver medal with her 4 x 400m relay team. Moreover, at the 1983 Universiade, she earned silver medals in 200m [individual], 4 x 100m, and 4 x 400m relay.

But it was time for her to rise to the occasion for Canada, as she appeared in the 1984 Summer Olympics. And as expected, Marita Payne did not miss the big opportunity. Rather, she blessed her nation with two silver medals in the 4 x 400m and 4 x 100m relay. In most of her races, she won silver, as it is already visible.

However, she got her chance to complete her quest for gold by winning the 4 × 400m relay at the Commonwealth Games in 1986. In the following year, she earned a silver medal once again at the Pan American Games in 1987. However, it did not last long as she and her team couldn’t get any medals in the World Championship, ending in semi-finals and consolation positions. The same fate continued for her 1988 Summer Olympics, after which Marita Payne knew it was time to hang the boots. Also, she had her personal life to handle at this juncture, as she was married to an NBA player.

Post-retirement life and personal history of Marita Payne

At the peak of her career, Marita married Mitchell Wiggins, who was part of the Houston Rockets at that time. It was the same year when Mitchell’s team faced Larry Bird and Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. Unfortunately, they lost that year’s finals. After averaging his career high with the Rockets in year 1989-90 for 15.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, Mitchell left the NBA in 1991-92. The same year, FSU inducted Marita Payne into their Hall of Fame. To make a living, Mitchell moved to make his overseas basketball career playing in Greece.

Soon after four years, Payne welcomed her first child, Andrew Wiggins, who is currently a Golden State Warriors player. Apart from Andrew, Marita has five children, including Nicholas Wiggins, Stephanie, Angelica, and Taya. Mitchell thought that his son Nick would be “going to make the NBA.” However, it has not happened yet since Nick last played for the Indonesian Basketball League.

Currently, with her whole family, Marita Payne is residing in Vaughan, mourning the loss of her dear husband. Just like the NBA community, we would like to extend our condolences to the Wiggins family and Marita in these times.