Former KU forward Markieff Morris is an NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers
Former University of Kansas power forward Markieff Morris of the Los Angeles Lakers has become the 13th player in KU basketball history to win an NBA championship.
Morris, a 6-foot-10, 255-pound native of Philadelphia, who played at KU from 2009 to 2011, scored three points and grabbed two rebounds while playing 16 minutes in Sunday’s 106-93 victory over the Miami Heat in the deciding Game Six of the 2020 NBA Finals. The Lakers won the series four games to two, all games contested in the NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida.
Morris, 31, joined the Lakers in a trade with the Detroit Pistons on Feb. 23. He played in 44 games for Detroit and eight with the Lakers averaging 10.1 points for the season in 52 contests prior to the pandemic. Morris played in 14 games with the Lakers, averaging 5.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game in the regular season. He averaged 6.4 points and 3.2 rebounds a game in 19 playoff games.
Morris was the No. 13 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, He is in his ninth season in the league. He played three seasons at Kansas from 2009-11 and was named second-team All-Big 12 in 2011.
Here are the other players in KU history to win NBA titles: Clyde Lovellette (1954, Minneapolis Lakers; 1963, 1964, Boston Celtics); Maurice King (1960, Boston Celtics); Wilt Chamberlain (1967, Philadelphia 76ers, 1972, Los Angeles Lakers); Jo Jo White (1974, 1976 Boston Celtics); Bill Bridges (1975 Golden State Warriors); Wayne Simien (2006, Miami Heat); Jacque Vaughn (2007, San Antonio Spurs); Paul Pierce (2008, Boston Celtics); Scot Pollard (2008, Boston Celtics); Mario Chalmers (2012, 2013, Miami Heat); Brandon Rush (2015, Golden State Warriors); Sasha Kaun (2016, Cleveland Cavaliers).
NBA superstar LeBron James has now won titles as a teammate of Morris, Kaun and Chalmers (twice).
Morris, the brother of former KU forward Marcus Morris, had a big game in Game Four, a 102-96 victory over the Heat. He scored nine points and grabbed three rebounds in 30 minutes. He committed a key turnover in the waning moments of a Game Five loss, bouncing back in Game Six.
Marcus Morris congratulated his twin brother after Sunday night’s game via a post on Twitter: “Bringing the chip to North Philly!!!! Congrats kid!!! Sand Box dreams! Add it to the resume,” Marcus Tweeted to Markieff.
After the clinching game, Markieff, after taking a big puff of a cigar and a gulp of champaign at a table in the interview room in Orlando, Florida, was asked if he spoke with Marcus about the Lakers’ quest to win a title.
“Every day. Every day,” Markieff said in a clip shown on Twitter. “We talk. He is the one who keeps me right, keeps my mental right.”
Also, Rachel Nichols of ESPN posted a video of Markieff’s daughter, Jyzelle, and teammate Anthony Davis’ daughter making confetti angels on the court after the victory as their dads celebrated in the locker room.
This story was originally published October 12, 2020 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Former KU forward Markieff Morris is an NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers."
