“Mali” to his inner circle, Khamal was a man who loved his family, friends, basketball, cooking, movies, music, and ultimately, more than anything, community. 

On Sunday, June 13, 2021, Khamal, surrounded by his mother, brother, & friends, peacefully departed this life to rejoin the sun, moon & stars.

He is predeceased by his Grandmothers, Alice & Katherine; Grandfather, Kenneth; Uncles, Ronnie & Jesse; Aunt, Mary-Lois.

Khamal was born in Boston, Massachusetts.  During his early years in Roxbury, Khamal’s life-long love of basketball was ignited on the playgrounds of Fort Hill, and cultivated at the Shelburne Community Center, where he became known as "Little Key."  Later, he would go on to win MVP at Northeastern University Basketball Camp, & travel the country to compete in national tournaments with his team, Greater Boston AAU. He was proud to play and practice with members of the Boston Celtics during their off-season, and even more proud of being accepted as part of the Celtics Family.  Khamal's most recent hoops home was the Malden YMCA, where several of his peers describe him as passionate about the things he enjoyed, devoted to his loved ones, headstrong about his beliefs, and caring towards anyone he called his family.

Khamal graduated from Weston High School, attended Pace University, where played two seasons on the men's basketball team, and later took culinary classes at Bunker Hill Community College. Through Mass Bay Community College, he enrolled in travel/study courses that took him to both Ghana and Senegal. Other travel took him to the Caribbean & France. He wanted to see the world.

Khamal had an impressive mental catalogue of movies and television shows that spanned decades. He could talk about the psychology of characters, mythic and religious undergirding, themes, irony, symbolism, genres in great detail for hours, always offering an alternate ending.  He loved his career in Information Technology.  And especially enjoyed the travel that came with his diverse positions/companies.

We are grateful to and will always remember Khamal for his many gifts: legacy of love, devotion to family, life-long commitment to amazing friends, love of all things basketball, teaching anyone in his orbit to cook, fierce interest in music and film, centeredness in community, infectious laughter, and unforgettable big, brown, penetrating, soulful eyes.

You are truly loved, missed, and cherished, Khamal – your parents, Diane, Kenneth,  Leslie (Skip); your brothers, Khadj & Kojo; your sisters, Adenike & Ashlee; your Grandfather, Jesse; your aunts, Portia (Francisco), Janet, Debbie (James), Rose, Gloria (Joe), Kathy, Jan; your uncles, David, Reg (Carolyn), Jeff (Shaakira); your cousins, Nia (Vusi), Joshua, Alyesha (Maurice), Kyle, Bridgette (David), Tamika, Tayeesha, Shira, Christopher, James, Reg, Jr. (Korina), Re’Lyn, Reyna, Shakiea, Brittany, Jemel, Jefani, Jumoke, Jamal; your large extended & chosen families & a host of wonderful friends.

The Ancestors await.

Finally, the family thanks everyone for the love, kindness, shared strength, donations, flowers, plants, food, cards, etc.  Most of all, we thank you for loving Khamal as he loved all of you.

In lieu of the aforementioned thoughtful remembrances,
please consider a tribute and memorial donation to:
The Shelburne Center Council, 2730 Washington Street, Roxbury, MA  02119

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Khamal "Mali" Edison, please visit our floral store.