Markieff Morris facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids
Markieff Morris
Free agent
Morris with the Washington Wizards in 2018
Power forward
Personal information
Born	(1989-09-02) September 2, 1989 (age 35) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
High school	Prep Charter (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) APEX Academy (Pennsauken, New Jersey)
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight	245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
College	Kansas (2008–2011)
NBA Draft	2011 / Round: 1 / Pick: 13th overall
Selected by the Phoenix Suns
Pro career	2011–present
Career history
2011–2016	Phoenix Suns
2016–2019	Washington Wizards
2019	Oklahoma City Thunder
2019–2020	Detroit Pistons
2020–2021	Los Angeles Lakers
2021–2022	Miami Heat
2022–2023	Brooklyn Nets
2023–2025	Dallas Mavericks
2025	Los Angeles Lakers

Career highlights and awards
NBA champion (2020) Second-team All-Big 12 (2011)

Markieff Morris (born September 2, 1989) is an American professional basketball player. He last played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before joining the NBA, he played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks. The Phoenix Suns picked him 13th overall in the 2011 NBA draft. Markieff won an NBA championship with the Lakers in 2020.

Markieff Morris's Early Life

Markieff Morris was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has four brothers, including his identical twin, Marcus. Experts considered Markieff a top player in 2008. He was ranked as the 17th best power forward and the 49th best player in the country.

College Basketball Career

Morris went to the University of Kansas. There, he studied American studies. In 2011, during his junior year with the Jayhawks, he was named to the second-team all-conference in the Big 12. Both Markieff and his brother Marcus decided to enter the 2011 NBA draft. Markieff was also chosen for the Fifth Team All-America by Fox Sports after his junior season.

Professional Basketball Journey

Playing for the Phoenix Suns (2011–2016)

Starting in the NBA (2011–12)

The Phoenix Suns chose Markieff Morris as the 13th pick in the 2011 NBA draft. Just five minutes later, his twin brother, Marcus, was drafted by the Houston Rockets.

On January 8, 2012, Markieff achieved his first professional double-double. He scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. This helped the Suns win 109–93 against the Milwaukee Bucks. On January 18, Morris made his first NBA start against the New York Knicks. He later played in the 2012 Rising Stars challenge. He scored 12 points and had six rebounds for Team Shaq. On March 25, he scored a career-high 22 points. This helped the Suns beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 108–83.

Second Season and Twin Reunion (2012–13)

After the 2011 NBA lockout, Morris played in the 2012 Summer League. He averaged 19.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. He also gained 13 pounds of muscle. On November 21, 2012, Morris made his first start of the season. He scored 16 points against the Miami Heat. Two days later, he set a new career-high with 23 points. This led the Suns to an overtime win against the New Orleans Hornets. On December 6, 2012, he grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds.

On February 21, 2013, Markieff's twin brother Marcus was traded to the Phoenix Suns. This reunited them after two years. They became the second pair of twins to play for the Suns. The Morris twins were also the first brothers to start a game together on the same team.

Becoming a Key Player (2013–14)

On November 6, 2013, Morris tied his career-high with 23 points and added 12 rebounds. Two days later, he set a new career-high, scoring 28 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. This helped the Suns win 114–103 against the Denver Nuggets. He became one of only three players since 1989 to shoot over 75% in three straight games. Markieff was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for November 4–11, 2013. He averaged 22.8 points and 8.0 rebounds. He also had 27 points and 15 rebounds in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. His strong play made him a candidate for the NBA Most Improved Player Award. He was also considered for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award.

Continued Success (2014–15)

On September 29, 2014, Morris signed a new contract with the Suns. On November 17, 2014, he scored a career-high 30 points. This helped the Suns beat the Boston Celtics 118–114. On January 2, 2015, Markieff and Marcus, along with other brothers Goran and Zoran Dragić, played together. This was the first time in NBA history that two pairs of brothers played on the same team at once. On January 13, 2015, Morris scored a career-high 35 points. On March 22, both Morris twins had double-doubles in the same game for the first time.

Challenges and Changes (2015–16)

On September 8, 2015, Morris was fined $10,000 for asking to be traded. He later trained with Rasheed Wallace before rejoining the Suns. On November 23, Morris scored 28 points in a game against the San Antonio Spurs. He was suspended for two games in December for his behavior. On February 2, 2016, he had a great game with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. This was during Earl Watson's first game as head coach.

Moving to the Washington Wizards (2016–2019)

Morris in 2016

On February 18, 2016, Morris was traded to the Washington Wizards. He made his debut the next day, scoring six points. On February 29, 2016, he had his first double-double as a Wizard. He scored 16 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

On February 10, 2017, Morris scored a season-high 26 points. The Wizards finished the season with 49 wins. They won their first Southeast Division title since 1978–79. On April 16, 2017, Morris scored 21 points in his first NBA playoff game. The Wizards won Game 1 against the Atlanta Hawks.

Morris had surgery in September 2017 and missed some time. On March 13, 2018, he scored a season-high 27 points. In January 2019, Morris was out for six weeks due to a neck injury. On February 7, 2019, Morris was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. He was then released by the Pelicans the next day.

Oklahoma City Thunder (2019)

On February 20, 2019, Morris signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Detroit Pistons (2019–2020)

On July 6, 2019, Morris signed with the Detroit Pistons. On February 21, 2020, Morris and the Pistons agreed to end his contract.

Los Angeles Lakers (2020–2021)

The Los Angeles Lakers signed Morris on February 23, 2020. In the 2020 NBA playoffs, he helped the Lakers advance. He scored 16 points in 23 minutes in a Game 2 win. The Lakers won the 2020 NBA Finals in six games. This earned Morris his first championship. He re-signed with the Lakers for the 2020–21 season.

Miami Heat (2021–2022)

On August 6, 2021, Morris signed with the Miami Heat. He was fined $50,000 for an incident in a game on November 8, 2021. Morris suffered a neck injury during the game. He was cleared to play again on March 11, 2022.

Brooklyn Nets (2022–2023)

On September 7, 2022, Morris signed with the Brooklyn Nets.

Dallas Mavericks (2023–2025)

Morris was traded to the Dallas Mavericks on February 6, 2023. This trade included Kyrie Irving joining the Mavericks. He re-signed with the Mavericks on September 16, 2023. Morris reached the 2024 NBA Finals with the Mavericks. They lost to the Boston Celtics in five games. On September 11, 2024, Morris re-signed with the Mavericks again.

Return to the Lakers (2025)

On February 2, 2025, Morris was traded back to the Los Angeles Lakers. This trade also involved Luka Dončić and Maxi Kleber.

Career Statistics

NBA Regular Season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2011–12	Phoenix	63	7	19.5	.399	.347	.717	4.4	1.0	.7	.7	7.4
2012–13	Phoenix	82*	32	22.4	.407	.336	.732	4.8	1.3	.9	.8	8.2
2013–14	Phoenix	81	0	26.6	.486	.315	.792	6.0	1.8	.8	.6	13.8
2014–15	Phoenix	82	82*	31.5	.465	.318	.763	6.2	2.3	1.2	.5	15.3
2015–16	Phoenix	37	24	24.8	.397	.289	.717	5.2	2.4	.9	.5	11.6
Washington	27	21	26.4	.467	.316	.764	5.9	1.4	.9	.6	12.4
2016–17	Washington	76	76	31.2	.457	.362	.837	6.5	1.7	1.1	.6	14.0
2017–18	Washington	73	73	27.0	.480	.367	.820	5.6	1.9	.8	.5	11.5
2018–19	Washington	34	15	26.0	.436	.333	.781	5.1	1.8	.7	.6	11.5
Oklahoma City	24	1	16.1	.391	.339	.737	3.8	.8	.5	.1	6.5
2019–20	Detroit	44	16	22.5	.450	.397	.772	3.9	1.6	.6	.3	11.0
2019–20†	L.A. Lakers	14	1	14.2	.406	.333	.833	3.2	.6	.4	.4	5.3
2020–21	L.A. Lakers	61	27	19.7	.405	.311	.720	4.4	1.2	.4	.3	6.7
2021–22	Miami	17	1	17.5	.474	.333	.889	2.6	1.4	.4	.1	7.6
2022–23	Brooklyn	27	1	10.6	.402	.408	1.000	2.2	.9	.3	.2	3.6
2022–23	Dallas	8	1	8.7	.424	.364	—	1.5	.8	.1	.0	4.5
2023–24	Dallas	26	1	8.3	.338	.357	.833	1.5	.6	.2	.1	2.5
2024–25	Dallas	7	0	5.9	.227	.154	—	1.1	.6	.1	.1	1.7
2024–25	L.A. Lakers	8	2	15.5	.333	.304	.833	1.9	2.1	.1	.3	5.5
Career		791	381	23.3	.443	.341	.779	4.9	1.5	.8	.5	10.2

NBA Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2017	Washington	13	13	28.7	.407	.368	.806	6.3	1.7	.9	1.3	12.1
2018	Washington	6	6	30.2	.490	.167	.900	7.5	1.7	.7	.8	9.8
2019	Oklahoma City	5	0	11.8	.313	.286	.778	2.6	1.0	.2	.6	3.8
2020†	L.A. Lakers	21	2	18.4	.449	.420	.778	3.0	1.0	.3	.1	5.9
2021	L.A. Lakers	4	1	9.5	.222	.250	.667	1.0	.8	.0	.3	2.3
2022	Miami	1	0	3.5	.000	—	—	1.0	.0	.0	.0	.0
2024	Dallas	1	0	12.0	.200	.333	—	4.0	.0	.0	.0	3.0
Career		51	22	20.6	.418	.368	.800	4.2	1.2	.5	.6	7.3

College Statistics

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2008–09	Kansas	35	7	15.6	.448	.188	.650	4.4	1.0	.4	.7	4.6
2009–10	Kansas	36	2	17.6	.566	.526	.622	5.3	1.1	.4	1.0	6.8
2010–11	Kansas	38	35	24.4	.589	.424	.673	8.3	1.4	.8	1.1	13.6
Career		109	43	19.3	.553	.404	.653	6.1	1.2	.6	.9	8.5

Markieff Morris's Personal Life

Morris (right) and his brother Marcus Morris Sr.

Markieff is seven minutes older than his identical twin brother, Marcus. Markieff supports the Dallas Cowboys, while Marcus cheers for the Philadelphia Eagles. Markieff's nickname is "Keef."

In 2015, Markieff and Marcus Morris were involved in a legal case. They were found not guilty in October 2017. This event was a reason for the Suns to trade Marcus in July 2015. It also contributed to Markieff being traded to the Wizards in February 2016.

Markieff Morris and his wife, Thereza Wright-Morris, have a daughter. The Morris twins started the Family Over Everything Foundation. This organization helps people in need in Philadelphia and other cities.

Images for kids

Morris in 2012