Adam John Morrison (born July 19, 1984) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. Morrison played for three years at

Gonzaga University Gonzaga University (GU) () is a private Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Founded in 1887 by Joseph Cataldo, an Italian-born priest and Jesuit missionary, the univ ...

and was considered to be one of the top

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

players in 2005–06. He was a finalist for the Naismith and the

Wooden Award The John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award, and recognizing the ...

. He was named Co-Player of the Year with Duke's

JJ Redick Jonathan Clay "JJ" Redick (born June 24, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player who is a podcaster and sports analyst for ESPN. He was selected 11th overall by the Orlando Magic in the 2006 NBA draft. He played college baske ...

by the

United States Basketball Writers Association The United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) was founded in 1956 by National Collegiate Athletic Association director Walter Byers to serve the interests of journalists who cover college basketball. Scholarships The USBWA annually awa ...

and won the 2006 Chevrolet Player of the Year award. He played for the NBA teams

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populous ...

from 2006 to 2009 and

L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

in 2009–2010.

Early life

Morrison's father, John, worked as a basketball coach, and the family moved with his coaching career: Casper College in

Casper, Wyoming Casper is a city in, and the county seat of, Natrona County, Wyoming, United States. Casper is the second-largest city in the state, with the population at 59,038 as of the 2020 census. Only Cheyenne, the state capital, is larger. Casper is nic ...

Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University (DWU) is a private Methodist university in Mitchell, South Dakota. It was founded in 1885 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The student body averages slightly fewer than 800 students. The campus of th ...

Mitchell, South Dakota Mitchell is a city in and the county seat of Davison County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 15,660 at the 2020 census making it the sixth most populous city in South Dakota. Mitchell is the principal city of the Mitchell Micr ...

, and

Dawson Community College Dawson Community College (DCC) is a public community college in Glendive, Montana. The college enrolls approximately 400 students and offers associate degree programs and certificate programs. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Col ...

Glendive, Montana Glendive is a city in and the county seat of Dawson County, Montana, United States, and home to Dawson Community College. Glendive was established by the Northern Pacific Railway when they built the transcontinental railroad across the northe ...

. When Morrison was in the fourth grade, his father left coaching, and the family moved to

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...

. Adam became the Gonzaga men's team's

ball boy Ball boys and ball girls, also known as ball kids are individuals, usually human youths but sometimes dogs, who retrieve and supply balls for players or officials in sports such as association football, American football, bandy, cricket, tennis ...

. When he was in the eighth grade, he lost 30 pounds (14 kg),Grant Wahl, "Jewel of a Duel", ''Sports Illustrated'', February 28, 2006. (Available online only to ''SI'' subscribers.) and while attending a basketball camp at Gonzaga during this time, he felt sick, later saying about his experience at the camp, "I think I made one shot the whole three days. I was sicker than a dog. I didn't want to play. I couldn't do anything." Shortly after this, Morrison was diagnosed with

type 1 diabetes Type 1 diabetes (T1D), formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease that originates when cells that make insulin (beta cells) are destroyed by the immune system. Insulin is a hormone required for the cells to use blood sugar for ...

. He took his diagnosis surprisingly well; the second time a nurse came to administer

insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the ''INS'' gene. It is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabolism o ...

, he stopped her, telling her, "Since I'm going to be doing this the rest of my life, you might as well show me how to do it." However, his illness did not keep him from becoming a star at

Mead Senior High School Mead High School (also Mead Senior High School, MHS) is a four-year public secondary school in Spokane, Washington, United States. MHS is one of two traditional high schools in the Mead School District #354 and has an enrollment of around 1,600 ...

in Spokane. In his senior year he broke single-season and career scoring records in his high school conference, and led Mead to the finals of the state tournament. Despite playing in the final game with

hypoglycemia Hypoglycemia, also called low blood sugar, is a fall in blood sugar to levels below normal, typically below 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L). Whipple's triad is used to properly identify hypoglycemic episodes. It is defined as blood glucose belo ...

so severe that he nearly had a seizure, he scored 37 points in a losing effort. It was Mead's only loss that season. Morrison was not heavily recruited out of high school. Dave Telep of

scout.com Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Sports ...

admitted, "In one of the biggest misses of my career, we left him off the Top 100 list. We ranked him the No. 26 small forward. The goal is to never make a mistake of that magnitude again".

College career

Morrison arrived at

to play for the

Gonzaga Bulldogs The Gonzaga Bulldogs () (also known unofficially as the Zags) are the intercollegiate athletic teams representing Gonzaga University, located in Spokane, Washington, United States. Gonzaga competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association ...

in 2003. In his freshman year he averaged 11.4 points per game (ppg), with a season-high 22 points against St. Mary's. Gonzaga won the

West Coast Conference The West Coast Conference (WCC) — known as the California Basketball Association from 1952 to 1956 and then as the West Coast Athletic Conference until 1989 — is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I consisting of ...

(WCC) regular-season title. Morrison was named to the WCC All-

Freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

Team. In his sophomore year Morrison averaged 19.0 ppg. He scored a season-high 28 points at home against

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, including the winning shot with 0.6 seconds to play in the game. Gonzaga again won the WCC regular-season title. Morrison made the All-WCC First Team and was selected to the ''

Basketball Times ''Basketball Times'' was an American basketball magazine that was in circulation from 1978 to 2021, and was published by Akers Ink LLC. ''Basketball Times'' published monthly and mainly focused on college basketball. The headquarters was in Matthew ...

'' All-West Coast Team as well as being named an honorable mention

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

All-American. In his junior year during Gonzaga's first two games of the 2005–06 season at the Maui Invitational, Morrison played well against two of the sport's top programs. In the first round, Morrison scored 25 points in a Gonzaga win over

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. He followed up this performance with 43 points in a triple-overtime win over

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

in the semifinals. He matched that output against in-state rival

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

on December 4, 2005, in a losing effort. However, Morrison and the Zags bounced back a week later, defeating

Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

after he banked in a three-pointer with 2.5 seconds left to give Gonzaga a two-point lead and eventually the win. In the regular season, he had 13 games of 30-plus points, with five of them over 40. At 28.1 points per game, he was the nation's leading scorer in 2005–2006. His scoring totals against teams in the "major" conferences were no less impressive; he averaged 28.5 points in 11 such games. On February 18, Morrison recorded a career high 44 points (including 37 in the second half alone) against the

Loyola Marymount Lions The Loyola Marymount Lions are the athletic teams that represent Loyola Marymount University, a Jesuit institution in Los Angeles, California. The school competes in NCAA Division I and the West Coast Conference. Sports sponsored Baseball ...

in a winning effort. Morrison led the Zags with 24 points in a 2006 NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen match against

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

, which the Zags lost in the final seconds after UCLA had eliminated a 17-point deficit coming out of the first half. With seconds left, the lead having slipped away after Morrison's teammates committed 3 turnovers in less than 5 seconds, Morrison broke down in tears and collapsed to the court. He was eventually helped to his feet by UCLA player

Arron Afflalo Arron Agustin Afflalo (born October 15, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. As a junior, he was named a consensus All-America ...

. He has been both criticized and praised for this unbridled show of emotion. He later shared the national player of the year award with friendly rival

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

. The game against UCLA turned out to be Morrison's final collegiate game, as he later decided to turn pro, foregoing his senior year of college.

Professional career

Charlotte Bobcats (2006–2009)

Morrison was selected third overall in the 2006 NBA draft by the

, behind

Andrea Bargnani Andrea Bargnani (; born 26 October 1985) is an Italian former professional basketball player. The 7 ft 0 in (213 cm) power forward- center played for Benetton Treviso in the Italian LBA and the EuroLeague before being selected firs ...

(

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

) and

LaMarcus Aldridge LaMarcus Nurae Aldridge (born July 19, 1985) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for two seasons with the Texas Longhorns. ...

(

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

). On July 6, 2006, the Bobcats signed Morrison to a two-year contract. On November 1, 2006, in his NBA debut against the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

, he scored 14 points. He was the first player drafted by

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

in his tenure as Manager of Basketball Operations with the Bobcats. He scored his career high of 30 points on December 29, 2006, in a 113–102 win over the

. However, Morrison lost his starting spot midway through his rookie season, in part because of his defense and because he shot only 37% for the year. On October 21, 2007, the Bobcats announced that Morrison sustained a severe injury to his left knee in a preseason game against the

while defending

Luke Walton Luke Theodore Walton (born March 28, 1980) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 10 seasons in the NBA as a fo ...

, bending his knee laterally and falling to the ground in pain. An

MRI Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio waves ...

scan performed after the game indicated a torn

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...

(ACL). On November 10, Morrison underwent surgery to repair the damage. The injury was confirmed to be a torn ACL, requiring several months of

physical therapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patient ...

after the knee had healed, and Morrison missed the whole 2007–08 NBA season.

Los Angeles Lakers (2009–2010)

On February 7, 2009, Morrison and

Shannon Brown Shannon Brown (born November 29, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He attended Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois, was named Illinois Mr. Basketball in 2003, and played college basketball for Michigan State ...

were traded to the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

for

Vladimir Radmanović Vladimir Radmanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Владимир Радмановић; born November 19, 1980) is a Serbian former professional basketball player. In Serbia he played for Crvena zvezda and FMP and in the National Basketball Association ...

. Morrison won NBA championships with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010, but saw very limited playing time. He was released following the 2009–10 season.

Crvena zvezda (2011)

Morrison signed with the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast D ...

in 2010, but was waived at the end of training camp before playing a regular season game. In September 2011, Morrison signed with

KK Crvena zvezda Košarkaški klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-cyrl, Кошаркашки клуб Црвена звезда, ), commonly referred to as KK Crvena zvezda mts for sponsorship reasons or simply Crvena zvezda, is a men's professional basketball Sports club, ...

. He was released from his contract in November 2011 to pursue other opportunities. During his 8-game stay in Belgrade (he missed one away game due to a minor injury), Morrison averaged 15.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 29 minutes a game, becoming his team's top scorer and the second overall top performer during the 2011–12

Adriatic League The ABA League, renamed to the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the 1st-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Mac ...

season.

Beşiktaş (2012)

In January 2012, Morrison signed with Beşiktaş Milangaz for the rest of the 2011–12 season. However, he left the team in April 2012 due to a lack of playing time. After being absent from the NBA since being waived by the Wizards, Morrison played in the 2012

NBA Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season competition organized by the National Basketball Association. NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regular season line-ups ...

for the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The t ...

and averaged 5.2 points and 19.2 minutes in five games with the team. He then joined the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

' Summer League team, averaging 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists on 55% FG (38–69), 61% 3-PT (13–21) and 78% FT (11–14) in 5 games. On September 21, 2012, Morrison signed with 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 ...

. He was waived on October 27, 2012.

National team career

Morrison made four appearances for various junior U.S. national teams. Morrison was selected to train with the senior men's team in preparation for the 2006

FIBA World Championship The FIBA Basketball World Cup, also known as the FIBA World Cup of Basketball or simply the FIBA World Cup, between 1950 and 2010 known as the FIBA World Championship, is an international basketball competition contested by the senior men's nat ...

but was cut prior to the tournament."Team USA announce 15-man squad"
'' FIBA2006.com'', July 26, 2006. Accessed August 31, 2006.

Coaching career

In July 2013, Gonzaga basketball coach

Mark Few Mark Norman Few (born December 27, 1962) is an American college basketball coach who has been the head coach at Gonzaga University since 1999. He has served on Gonzaga's coaching staff since 1989, and has been a constant on the sidelines through ...

announced that Morrison would become a student assistant with the basketball team. Morrison had returned to Gonzaga to take classes. After completing his undergraduate degree at Gonzaga in 2014, majoring in sports management, Morrison became an assistant video coordinator for the Bulldogs for the 2014–15 season, but was weighing options for his career after the season ended.

Broadcasting career

Morrison was named the color commentator for the Gonzaga men's basketball radio broadcasts with former KREM 2 sports director Tom Hudson in October 2017.

Personal life

Morrison lives near

Spokane Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Ca ...

, with his girlfriend and three children. He is not religious and does not believe in marriage.Weitzman, Yaro
Life as an NBA Draft Bust: It's better than you might think. Ask Adam Morrison.
''Bleacher Report''. June 22, 2016

Diabetes

Morrison was diagnosed with 1 diabetes (insulin-dependent diabetes) at age 13. He was playing in an eighth-grade basketball game, and as the game went into overtime, he began having seizure-like symptoms, which prompted his father to take him to the hospital where the diagnosis was made. Morrison, who managed his

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

to the point of eating exactly the same meals at the same time on game days, is considered a role model for children with the disease and their families. During his freshman year at Gonzaga, Morrison and his life with diabetes were a subject of a four-page article in ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

''. On the first day that the issue appeared in retail outlets, more than 50 parents of children with diabetes contacted the Gonzaga athletic department asking if Morrison could speak to their children. Off the court, Morrison regulates his

blood sugar Glycaemia, also known as blood sugar level, blood sugar concentration, or blood glucose level is the measure of glucose concentrated in the blood of humans or other animals. Approximately 4 grams of glucose, a simple sugar, is present in the blo ...

with an

insulin pump An insulin pump is a medical device used for the administration of insulin in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, also known as continuous subcutaneous insulin therapy. The device configuration may vary depending on design. A traditional pump ...

attached to his abdomen.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

, 78 , , 23 , , 29.8 , , .376 , , .337 , , .710 , , 2.9 , , 2.1 , , .4 , , .1 , , 11.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 44 , , 5 , , 15.2 , , .360 , , .337 , , .762 , , 1.6 , , .9 , , .2 , , .1 , , 4.5 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 8 , , 0 , , 5.5 , , .333 , , .250 , , .500 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.3 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 0 , , 7.8 , , .376 , , .238 , , .625 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , .1 , , .1 , , 2.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 161 , , 28 , , 20.4 , , .373 , , .331 , , .710 , , 2.1 , , 1.4 , , .2 , , .1 , , 7.5

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;",

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

† , style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , 0 , , 6.5 , , .444 , , .000 , , .000 , , 2.5 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , 4.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 2 , , 0 , , 6.5 , , .444 , , .000 , , .000 , , 2.5 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , 4.0

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2003–04 , style="text-align:left;", Gonzaga , 31 , , 1 , , 20.8 , , .531 , , .304 , , .726 , , 4.3 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , .3 , , 11.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2004–05 , style="text-align:left;", Gonzaga , 31 , , 29 , , 34.3 , , .499 , , .311 , , .758 , , 5.5 , , 2.8 , , .6 , , .5 , , 19.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2005–06 , style="text-align:left;", Gonzaga , 33 , , 32 , , 36.5 , , .496 , , .428 , , .772 , , 5.5 , , 1.7 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 28.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 95 , , 62 , , 30.6 , , .503 , , .368 , , .761 , , 5.1 , , 2.0 , , .7 , , .4 , , 19.7

References

External links

*
Lakers' Adam Morrison is Thinking Forward
by Broderick Turner, ''Los Angeles Times'', March 17, 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Morrison, Adam 1984 births Living people ABA League players All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Serbia American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Montana Basketball coaches from Washington (state) Basketball players from Montana Basketball players from Spokane, Washington Beşiktaş men's basketball players Charlotte Bobcats draft picks Charlotte Bobcats players Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball players High school basketball coaches in Washington (state) KK Crvena zvezda players Los Angeles Lakers players People from Glendive, Montana People with type 1 diabetes Small forwards