G League basketball players aren’t as well known as their NBA counterparts, so there are often more questions about their private lives. Chance Comanche, formerly of the Stockton Kings, is one such example, and fans often ask who his parents are, and whether Comanche is, in fact, ethnically Indigenous or Native American.

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Interest in the 5-foot-10 center peaked for reasons beyond his on-court performance: Comanche’s possible involvement in a true crime case. In Dec. 2023, Comanche was arrested in Sacramento, California, for his suspected involvement in the disappearance of Marayna Rodgers in Las Vegas.

As of this report, Comanche, who was 27 at the time, and his 19-year-old girlfriend, Sakari Harnden, were expected to face murder charges stemming from Rodgers’ death, according to CNN. Harnden was also arrested on charges related to Rodgers’ disappearance.

Who are Chance Comanche’s parents, and is he Native?

As for Chance Comanche’s parents, more is known about his mother, Melissa McGee, who played college ball at Long Beach State, than his father. Her pro career was sidelined when she hurt her knee playing for pay in Spain in 1995, Tucson.com reported in 2014. As for Comanche’s father, his name is unreported in the press, but Tucson.com says he’s a quarter Comanche and a quarter Choctaw. Chance’s family surname is Comanche. As of 2014, Comanche’s dad lived in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Referring to his mom, McGee, Comanche has said:

“She’s just always been there through everything for me. For me to be able to play and even make it this far in life, I can see how proud she is of me. I play for her to give her an easy life. Let her just watch me play, that’s it. She can just travel the world and watch me play basketball” (via Playersbio.com).

The Comanche charges

Reportedly, Marayna Rodgers went missing around Dec. 7, 2023, when Chance Comanche was in Las Vegas with the Stockton Kings, facing the G league team, Ignite, in nearby Henderson. Rodgers’ remains were then discovered in the desert near Vegas, and from the start, police suspected foul play and had reason to believe Comanche and Harnden played a part in what happened. Reportedly, Rodgers, who was 23 when she vanished, was last seen getting into a car with the couple.

Neither Harnden nor Comanche had entered pleas at the time of this writing, nor was there a known motive for Rodgers’ apparent murder.

Around the same time he was arrested, Comanche was released by the Stockton Kings, the Sacramento Kings G League affiliate. Comanche was averaging 14 points and seven rebounds in the 2023 season. Comanche played basketball for the University of Arizona and played in one NBA game with the Portland Trailblazers earlier in the year.