Marcus Thomas Morris Sr. (born September 2, 1989) is an American 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 for 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 ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

(NBA). The forward played

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 ...

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

before being drafted 14th overall by the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

in the

2011 NBA draft The 2011 NBA draft was held on June 23, 2011, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (23:00 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. Kia Motors was the presenting spons ...

. He has also played for the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

, and

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

Early life

Morris was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, to Thomasine "Angel" Morris. He has four brothers, Donte, Blake, David and twin Markieff, who also plays in the NBA. Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Morris was listed as the No. 10 power forward and the No. 29 player in the nation in 2008.

College career

Morris attended the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...

, where he majored in

American studies American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinary field of scholarship that examines American literature, history, society, and culture. It traditionally incorporates literary criticism, historiography and critical theory. Schol ...

. He was named the 2010–11

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...

Men's Basketball Player of the Year. He also was named a second team All-American for his play in the 2010–11 basketball season by both the Associated Press and the

National Association of Basketball Coaches The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of men's college basketball coaches. It was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, head men's basketball coach at the University ...

, and a third team All-America by

Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the F ...

. On March 30, 2011, Morris was named to the ten-member John R. Wooden Award Men's All American team. Morris and his brother signed with a sports agent from Los Angeles, and announced that they would enter the

Professional career

Houston Rockets (2011–2013)

Morris was selected by the

with the 14th overall pick in the

, five minutes after his brother Markieff was taken with the 13th pick by the

. He was assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Dev ...

on January 2, 2012. In his first game in the D-League on January 6, 2012, Morris recorded 33 points and 16 rebounds in a narrow 105–103 loss to the Dakota Wizards. Morris returned to the Rockets on January 16, was reassigned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on February 3, and returned to the Rockets again on February 20. After an injury to Patrick Patterson, Rockets head coach Kevin McHale named Morris the opening day starter at power forward for the 2012–13 season. When told he would be starting, Morris thought McHale was kidding, since he rarely played his rookie season and was hurt during the preseason. During the course of the season, Morris was the backup power forward to Patterson, and started 17 games while Patterson was injured. His three-point shot was much improved from his rookie season, more than tripling the percentage from 12% to 38%.

Phoenix Suns (2013–2015)

On February 21, 2013, Morris was traded to the

, reuniting him with his twin brother. A day later, he played his first game with his brother in the last 6 minutes of a loss to the

, as he recorded 7 points, 2 steals, and a rebound, despite having no formal training from the Suns before entering the game. This marked the second time that twin brothers played for the same NBA team;

Dick Dick, Dicks, or Dick's may refer to: Media * ''Dicks'' (album), a 2004 album by Fila Brazillia * Dicks (band), a musical group * ''Dick'' (film), a 1999 American comedy film * "Dick" (song), a 2019 song by Starboi3 featuring Doja Cat Names ...

and

Tom Van Arsdale Thomas Arthur Van Arsdale (born February 22, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player. A graduate of Emmerich Manual High School in Indianapolis, the guard played collegiately at Indiana University under longtime head coach ...

also played together for the Suns during the 1976–77 season. On March 1, 2013, Morris scored 16 points to help the Suns defeat the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

92–87. He made four out of five three-point attempts. He went on to start alongside Markieff on March 10, 2013 against his former team, the Rockets, which made the Morris twins the first set of twin brothers to ever start for the same NBA team. On September 29, 2014, Morris signed a multi-year contract extension with the Suns. In the Suns' 2014–15 season opener on October 29, 2014, Morris recorded 21 points in the 119–99 win over 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 ...

. During the Suns' January 7 game against the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

, Morris received a technical foul and was caught on national TV berating head coach Jeff Hornacek about the situation. It resulted in Morris not playing for the rest of the game. His other antics during his final season with the Suns and afterwards, though, led to ''AZCentral.com'' labeling him one of Arizona's biggest sports villains. On February 6, 2015, Morris recorded his first career double-double with career highs of 34 points and 12 rebounds in a 100–93 win over the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

. His double-double off the bench marked him as just the second player after Brook Lopez in 2014–15 to record a 30-point, 10-rebound game off the bench. The last Suns player to do it was Danny Manning in 1997. In a March 22 game against the Dallas Mavericks, the Morris twins had double-doubles in the same game for the first time in their professional careers.

Detroit Pistons (2015–2017)

Marcus Morris, Markieff Morris (31320535910)

On July 9, 2015, Morris was traded to the

, along with

Reggie Bullock Reginald Ryedell Bullock (born March 16, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels before being selecte ...

and Danny Granger, in exchange for a 2020 second-round draft pick. He made his debut for the Pistons on October 27, 2015, in the team's season opener against the

. In 37 minutes of action as a starter, he recorded 18 points and 10 rebounds in a 106–94 win. On April 1, 2016, he scored a season-high 31 points in a 98–89 loss to the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. Th ...

. The Pistons finished the regular season as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 44–38 record, earning a playoff berth for the first time since 2009. In their first-round series against the top-seeded, eventual champion

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central ...

, the Pistons were swept 4–0. On February 3, 2017, Morris scored a career-high 36 points in a 116–108 win over the

. On February 28, Morris set a new career high with 37 points in a 120–113 overtime win over 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 ...

Boston Celtics (2017–2019)

On July 7, 2017, Morris was traded to the

in exchange for Avery Bradley and a 2019 second-round draft pick. On March 31, 2018, he scored 25 points in a 110–99 win over the

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 ...

. It was his fourth straight game with at least 20 points, setting a career high.

New York Knicks (2019–2020)

On July 16, 2019, Morris signed with the

. On January 5, 2020, Morris scored a career-high 38 points and tied his career high for field goals made (13) in a 135–132 loss against the

Los Angeles Clippers (2020–present)

The Knicks traded Morris to the

in a three team trade 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 Southeast Division. The team plays ...

on February 6, 2020, sending

Maurice Harkless Maurice José "Moe" Harkless (born May 11, 1993) is an American-Puerto Rican professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. He played college basketball for the St. John's Red Storm before being drafted 15th overall, after his fres ...

to New York and

Jerome Robinson Jerome Robinson (born February 22, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA G League. He played college basketball with the Boston College Eagles. He was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers in th ...

to Washington; the Clippers also acquired Isaiah Thomas from the Wizards in the trade. Morris debuted for the Clippers on February 9, 2020, scoring 10 points in a 133–92 victory over the

. In the first round of the 2020 NBA playoffs, Morris was ejected during game 6 after he committed a flagrant foul on Luka Dončić and was fined $35,000, but was never suspended. In the 2020 Western Conference Semifinals, Morris notably had an altercation with Paul Millsap as the Clippers fell in seven games after the Nuggets came back from a 3–1 series deficit. Morris averaged 11.8 points and 4.8 rebounds during the playoffs. On November 25, 2020, Morris re-signed with the Clippers with a 4-year, $64 million contract.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

, 17 , , 0 , , 7.4 , , .296 , , .118 , , .750 , , .9 , , .2 , , .1 , , .1 , , 2.4 , - , style="text-align:left;"rowspan=2, , style="text-align:left;",

, 54 , , 17 , , 21.4 , , .428 , , .381 , , .653 , , 4.1 , , .9 , , .5 , , .3 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 23 , , 6 , , 16.1 , , .405 , , .308 , , .405 , , 2.5 , , .7 , , .8 , , .2 , , 5.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 82 , , 1 , , 22.0 , , .442 , , .381 , , .761 , , 3.9 , , 1.1 , , .9 , , .2 , , 9.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 81 , , 35 , , 25.2 , , .434 , , .358 , , .628 , , 4.8 , , 1.6 , , .8 , , .2 , , 10.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

, 80 , , 80 , , 35.7 , , .434 , , .362 , , .749 , , 5.1 , , 2.5 , , .8 , , .3 , , 14.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , 79 , , 32.5 , , .418 , , .331 , , .784 , , 4.6 , , 2.0 , , .7 , , .3 , , 14.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, 54 , , 21 , , 26.8 , , .429 , , .368 , , .805 , , 5.4 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , .2 , , 13.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 75 , , 53 , , 27.9 , , .447 , , .375 , , .844 , , 6.1 , , 1.5 , , .6 , , .3 , , 13.9 , - , style="text-align:left;"rowspan=2, , style="text-align:left;",

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, 43 , , 43 , , 32.3 , , .442 , , .439 , , .823 , , 5.4 , , 1.4 , , .8 , , .4 , , 19.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 19 , , 19 , , 28.9 , , .425 , , .310 , , .818 , , 4.1 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , .7 , , 10.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 57 , , 29 , , 26.4 , , .473 , , .473 , , .820 , , 4.1 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , .3 , , 13.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 54 , , 54 , , 29.0 , , .434 , , .367 , , .872 , , 4.4 , , 2.1 , , .5 , , .3 , , 15.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 718 , , 437 , , 27.1 , , .435 , , .377 , , .773 , , 4.6 , , 1.5 , , .7 , , .3 , , 12.4

Playoffs

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

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

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

, 4 , , 4 , , 36.0 , , .468 , , .389 , , .870 , , 3.3 , , 2.5 , , .5 , , .0 , , 17.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

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

, 19 , , 4 , , 29.6 , , .368 , , .417 , , .712 , , 5.4 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , .3 , , 12.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

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

, 9 , , 4 , , 28.2 , , .519 , , .450 , , .742 , , 8.1 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , .6 , , 13.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 13 , , 13 , , 29.8 , , .505 , , .475 , , .929 , , 4.8 , , 1.6 , , .8 , , .1 , , 11.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 19 , , 18 , , 31.8 , , .430 , , .375 , , .750 , , 4.3 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , .5 , , 12.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 64 , , 43 , , 30.5 , , .435 , , .418 , , .767 , , 5.2 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , .3 , , 12.7

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2008–09 , style="text-align:left;",

, 35 , , 22 , , 18.5 , , .495 , , .400 , , .604 , , 4.7 , , 1.1 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 7.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009–10 , style="text-align:left;",

, 36 , , 33 , , 24.7 , , .570 , , .375 , , .660 , , 6.1 , , 1.0 , , .9 , , .3 , , 12.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2010–11 , style="text-align:left;",

, 38 , , 36 , , 28.3 , , .570 , , .342 , , .688 , , 7.6 , , 1.6 , , .8 , , .6 , , 17.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 109 , , 91 , , 24.0 , , .555 , , .358 , , .660 , , 6.2 , , 1.3 , , .9 , , .4 , , 12.6

Personal life

Morris is seven minutes younger than his identical twin brother, Markieff. He is a fan of his hometown

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

while Markieff roots for the rival

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

. His nicknames are "Mook" and "Flask Dad". Morris' girlfriend Amber Soulds gave birth to a son, Marcus Jr., on July 20, 2018. Beginning with the 2018–19 season, Morris donned "Morris Sr." on the back of his gameday jersey. The Morris brothers and former teammates Goran and

Zoran Dragić Zoran Dragić (born June 22, 1989) is a Slovenian professional basketball player who plays for Cedevita Olimpija of the Slovenian League and the ABA League. He also represents the Slovenian national basketball team internationally. Standing at ...

all briefly played for the Suns during the fourth quarter of the team's January 2, 2015 112–96 victory over the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

. It marked the first time in the NBA's history that two pairs of brothers were on the court for the same team at the same time. On February 26, 2012, the state of Kansas filed battery charges against Morris and another assailant, Julius K. Harris, for punching an employee of the Cave, a bar and nightclub in

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...

in which they had been watching the final Border War basketball match between Kansas and Missouri. Morris and Harris entered a diversion agreement for the battery charge, with Morris paying a $300 diversion fee, $60 in court fees, and agreeing not to come in contact with the victim or The Cave for one year. On January 24, 2015, Marcus and Markieff Morris were involved in two aggravated assault cases as five different men (including the twins and former

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

safety

Gerald Bowman Gerald “GeBow” Bowman (born October 31, 1989) is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultura ...

) allegedly assaulted 36-year-old Eric Hood outside the Nina Mason Pulliam Recreation Center in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

. Hood mentored the Morris twins from high school until the end of their college careers; the brothers assaulted Hood for "sending an inappropriate text message" to their mother. The case against the Morris brothers was first brought on August 3, 2015; the trial concluded on October 3, 2017, with the twins and Gerald Bowman found not guilty and the accused Julius Kane and Christopher Melendez Jr. confessing their guilt in September 2017. In spite of the resolution the incident was considered a catalyst for the Suns trading Marcus to the Pistons on July 9, 2015 and a factor in dealing his brother to the

on February 18, 2016.

References

External links

Kansas Jayhawks bio

Marcus Morris deserves place in pantheon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Marcus Sr. 1989 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Philadelphia Boston Celtics players Detroit Pistons players Houston Rockets draft picks Houston Rockets players Identical twins Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players Los Angeles Clippers players New York Knicks players Phoenix Suns players Power forwards (basketball) Rio Grande Valley Vipers players American twins Twin sportspeople